


Experiment Subject 049

by RikuKingdomHearts3, tmart_x13



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Cloud as one of Hojo's experiments, Experiment Cloud, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Just one really though, Minor Injuries, Minor Violence, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, minor blood, poor Cloud
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-02-26 12:01:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 35,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21849319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RikuKingdomHearts3/pseuds/RikuKingdomHearts3, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tmart_x13/pseuds/tmart_x13
Summary: Hojo has new ideas for a new experiment; to make a different kind of perfect SOLDIER. One that is than different Sephiroth but just as strong. One that will obey him. And a little blond child who wandered too far from his home seemed like the perfect test subject.
Comments: 55
Kudos: 91





	1. Lost and Found

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this story all started off from a Photoshop that I did late at night, but from that I came up with this idea. This is co written with one of my friends tmart.x13 (this is FanFiction account name)
> 
> But other than that, let's get to the opening chapter!

A young, 5-year-old Cloud ran around in the backyard of his house. Playing with the little chocobo plush that he had. At the moment he was pretending he was riding it and going really fast. His attention was quickly changed though when he saw something moving off in the distance. Since his house had no fence, he could easily see far away from it. And there he saw it… a small Nibel wolf. 

“Wolf puppy!” Cloud exclaimed as he ran towards the little pup. 

The little wolf puppy saw Cloud and immediately turned the other way and started to run. Cloud though, didn’t stop running. He wasn’t going to let the little puppy out of his site. He tried to run faster, but the puppy was getting further away. 

“Come back wolf puppy! I wanna play with you!” Cloud shouted as he chased it further. 

The faster he tried to run though, the less he paid attention to where he was going. It seemed as though he had been running for a good distance, but the only thing he paid attention to was the puppy in front of him. Then, without warning his shoe caught onto a rock and he fell forward. Cloud hit the ground with a thud, but it wasn’t as bad as he thought since his chocobo plush that he still was holding softened his fall. 

Cloud groaned slightly as pushed himself up into a sitting position. He looked around quickly in all directions but didn’t see the wolf puppy anywhere now. Cloud frowned as he stood back up and saw where he was though. He was just inches away from the scary, old manor that was just outside of his town. He took a step back as he remembered his mother telling him he was not suppose to go near that place. But then a small bit of curiosity slipped into his mind and he walked closer to the front gate. 

The old looking place still gave him the creeps so he backed away once again and turned around. Though he froze up as he looked around at his surroundings. He had ran farther than he had thought from town, and he now was at the manor. Not only that… but he didn’t know how to get back home. Never before had he been that far away from home. Cloud clutched his chocobo plush tightly against his chest as he frowned. What was he going to do now? He was lost and he had no idea where to go. 

Though just as he started to cry he heard footsteps faintly in the short distance. He turned around to see someone walking out of the manor and towards the gate. Cloud noticed that it was a man, probably older than his mother, walking in the direction which he was. The man had a long white coat that he wore, which flapped ever so slightly with each step he took. It was the most noticeable thing to Cloud and the only thing he could really see well enough as he wondered what that meant.

After a few seconds, Cloud snapped out of his thoughts and looked back up to see that the man was getting closer. Now, he could see more about him. He had on what appeared to be brown-colored pants with some black boot-like shoes that accompanied his every step. Under the coat was a white shirt, and he wore a blue tie down the front as well, which also fluttered as he continued his strides. 

Finally looking at the man’s face, Cloud could definitely tell that he was older than his mother. His face was elongated, and it also looked slightly sunken in. His eyes were a darker color with round-brimmed glasses covering the front of them. He possessed long, black hair that seemed to be tied in some kind of ponytail, and he had bangs that draped down the sides of his face. The expression he wore on his face was one of indifference, like he did not have a care in the world. 

That face had gotten closer and closer as Cloud had been lost in trying to ascertain the looks of the strange man. He had not noticed until just then that the man was standing in front of him. Cloud assumed he must have tuned out the footsteps when he was thinking. Cloud had no idea what to say, but he didn’t have to as the man started to grin slightly. 

"Well what do we have here? There's just a little test subject out here all alone. Come with me boy. I'll take good care of you."

Cloud stared up at the man, not really understanding some of the words he had said. He wondered what the man meant by ‘test subject’, but Cloud quickly forgot about that as he wanted to figure out what to do first. “Hmm? Who you mister? Are you tryin’ to help me? I’m lost,” Cloud admitted with a sigh of defeat. 

The man pushed up his glasses slightly, still giving a slight grin. He slowly unlocked the gate to the manor and stepped forward. “Oh is that so? Well that’s just too bad. I can help you though.”

“Oh really? So you can help me find my mommy? I don’t know how to get back home and don’t know really how I got here. I’m scared,” Cloud replied slowly as he sniffled, looking back down at the ground for now.

The man bent over and chuckled a little. “Yes I can help you find her. In fact, I know just where she is. Come with me and I’ll show you” He then held out a hand towards Cloud. 

Cloud stared at the man for a moment, not knowing what to do. He knew his mother told him not to talk to strangers, but he was lost. He was lost and he didn’t know what to do and where to go. Plus this man said he knew where Cloud’s mother was… that meant he could trust him right? All of these thoughts swirled in his head as he did not know what to do. The only thing that's certain is that he knew he could not get back home without help.

“Well okay, I guess. I’m not supposed to talk to strangers...but if you know how to get home and where mommy is then it’s good,” Cloud reasoned as he reached out and grasped the man’s hand. “I’m ready to go,” Cloud added as he slightly smiled at the prospect of being able to get back home again. 

“Good, now come with me. And you’ll get to see your… mother.”

Cloud nodded as he followed the man back towards the manor and inside of the gate. Soon after, the man closed the gate back and locked it once more. Cloud did not seem to worry about that, not knowing that he was actually getting farther away from his mother. Little did he know that as soon as he stepped inside the manor and the doors would close, his fate would be sealed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh, poor little Cloud. What shall happen to him now? Stick around to find out, but let us know if you have thoughts! We are curious to know! Thank you for reading though!


	2. A New Name

A woman was seen hurriedly walking along the streets of Nibelheim, a sense of urgency and nervousness in her body language. She was looking for something, or rather someone.

“Cloud! Cloud dear. Where are you?” she cried out, panic rising in her voice. 

This had been the third straight day that she had been searching, desperately trying to locate the boy, who was her son. She knew that his spiky blond hair would be unmistakable, but she had looked everywhere for him to no avail. Also, nobody in the village seemed to pay any mind to her desperation either. She wondered many times what could be the problem there. 

The truth was, they were foreigners in this village, so they never felt really at home, and Cloud had always been bullied for being different. Maybe they were all glad that the boy was gone and did not care whether or not he was found. Though, she had thought that someone would try to help, but it seemed that would not happen. Especially after all these days of searching, she was alone in her quest, but she was not going to give up. 

Soon enough, the day was turning to night and she had decided to go back home once again. She would rather have been out searching more, but exhaustion had taken over her being and rest was needed. Though, rest was a dream these past couple of days, as she could not sleep because of worrying so much. 

“Where… where could you be Cloud?” she pleaded to herself. “Surely you wouldn’t have gone to that old mansion right?”

She laid down with her head in her hands. Tears filled her eyes again as she just continued to cry. She just wanted her baby boy back. She knew that he would never run away, but she assumed that he must have gotten lost somewhere. She figured that she would try to look again the next day, and every day until she could find something. Even though she did not want to do it, she resolved to attempt to approach the creepy manor to see if she might notice anything.

She only hoped that Cloud was safe.

* * *

**Shinra Manor**

Cloud sat on the bed, with his chocobo plush held tightly to his chest. He still wasn’t old enough to tell time, but he knew he had been in the scary manor for a while now. Not only that, but he hadn’t seen his mother anywhere. 

He had never felt so scared before in all of his little life. And he didn’t know what to do. The man who had found him, who he learned was called Hojo, kept saying he would help, but nothing ever happened. However long had passed, it felt like an eternity being by himself most of the time, locked in that room. He was never allowed to leave it, but he was at least brought food from time to time, and was relieved to know that other people were there. 

However, none of them would ever speak. If any of them looked at him, it was almost as if they were looking right through him as though he was not there. He did have his chocobo to talk to though when he needed to say things. 

“Why is everyone like that?” he spoke to the lifeless doll as though it could hear him. “It’s like I’m not here or somethin. At least you are Mr. Chocobo. I just...wish my mommy was too.”

Cloud clutched his chocobo plush tighter and laid down on the bed, curling his knees up to his chin. He just wanted to cry, but he had done plenty of that already off and on. He had resolved himself to wait each time for the door to open. He would hope that the next time would be when he saw his mother, but that had not happened yet. 

As he lay there, he thought he heard some rustling outside of the door, accompanied by some voices. One of the voices appeared to sound higher than the others. Cloud thought that it sounded like his mother, so he quickly sat up in bed and waited there patiently for the door to open. He was almost on the verge of bouncing with excitement at the prospect of seeing his mother again. Finally, the door began to open and Cloud paid close attention to it all. 

His heart soon dropped though when he did not see her enter into the room. He almost started to cry again at the disappointment that he was feeling. The only person that was there now was some other lady. Cloud had seen her the first day he came into the manor, but he had never talked to her before. Cloud did not want to speak to her though, so he remained silent. Though, the room did not stay silent for long.

The woman stepped forward, closer to the bed. “Cloud, can you come with me please? Professor Hojo has something we need you for.” 

Cloud looked up at her with a strange stare. “What for? I just wanna stay and wait for mommy,” he replied to her. At least, that is what he wanted to do. Though, he also wanted to get out of that room as well. He was rather confused as to what he truly desired as he continued to sit there for a moment. 

The woman pursed her lips slightly, feeling sorry for the poor young boy. “Well… you can come with us, and then… maybe you will get to see her again.” 

Cloud seemed to pay more attention at that comment. “Oh really? Well, okay then. But Mr. Chocobo comes with me,” he suggested, grabbing his plush as he stood up from the bed. 

“All right, that’s fine,” the woman said as she held out her hand for Cloud, not completely sure if he would take it or not. “Let’s go now. Professor Hojo is waiting.”

Cloud hesitated for a moment as he looked at her hand. Her extending her hand out like that reminded him of his mother slightly though. With mixed feelings, he reached out and grabbed onto her hand and allowed her to lead him to where they needed to go. Though, he still would not talk much unless he had to, especially since he really did not know what to say. He just continued to hold tight to his chocobo as they traveled. 

Cloud felt relieved to finally be out of that stuffy room and see different surroundings now. Though, he did think that the other parts of the manor were just creepy as he started to look around. At least, what little he could see. The lady led him by the hand as he kept his pace with her, and they ended up walking into another room that was pretty similar to the one he was just in. Then, she walked over to a large, cylindrical wall-area that was made of stone, and there she pressed against the wall while Cloud watched as it opened up. 

Not having time to stand in awe, she led him into the doorway and they walked down several flights of spiraling stairs. Cloud thought that this place was even more creepy than before as he clung to his plush more tightly and gripped the woman’s hand harder. Soon they were at the bottom and were led into a cave-like area. Cloud then tensed up and he stopped completely. 

“What is it? Come on, we have to move,” the lady said to him.

“But… it’s scary. I don’t wanna,” Cloud whined as he shuddered slightly.

The lady could not get him to move, and did not want to use force to do it. She issued a sigh, and then turned around to face him. She reached down and she scooped him up into her arms and held him. “Is this better?” she asked.

Cloud was surprised at her actions, but he did feel more comfortable now that he was being held. The forced embrace reminded him of when his mother would hold him, so he was then able to relax some. “Yeah… it’s kinda better,” he admitted. 

After affirming Cloud’s status, the two of them then were on their way once again. They kept walking until they were at some large door area. The lady presented something at the door, though Cloud could not tell what it was. The door slid open and they walked inside. What Cloud saw next when he had looked up had him in shock and awe.

The room around him was large and there were many different devices and tools that were located all throughout. He tried to take it all in, but it was quite a lot of information for his mind to process. Shortly after entering, the lady finally placed him down on the floor in front of a table. She then gave him a short crack of a smile before turning and walking away. Cloud then heard footsteps and turned to see the man that he knew as Hojo standing over him now. He was unsure of what to say, but he didn’t have to as Hojo decided to speak up.

“It is about time that you showed up,” Hojo said as he stared down at the child. “Now we can finally begin.”

Cloud stepped back slightly. He knew that Hojo had said he would help him find his mother, but now he wasn’t too sure. He didn’t like the way Hojo grinned at him. It scared him. 

“What do you mean, begin?” Cloud questioned nervously as he hugged his chocobo. 

Hojo grin faded into a look of indifference. “We are doing tests boy. Now, I need you up on that table and lay down and we can get started. Think of it as going to a doctor,” he said dryly, trying to make the process seem smoother in an effort to sway the boy.

Cloud was not too sure what was going on, but he figured that he did not have much choice in the situation. He hung his head and moved towards the table and climbed up on it slowly, never once letting go of his plush. As he attempted to lay back, he jerked quickly. 

“Ahh, it’s cold!” he exclaimed, while still wondering why he had to do all of this. 

Hojo had moved around to the table where he was. “Yes yes, but pay that no mind. Just lay down like I asked.”

Cloud proceeded to do as he was told, and finally laid back completely. Hojo then prepared many different tools and devices to use as he then pulled from his pocket a small recording device. He then clicked the button on it. 

"Experiment Subject: 049. Beginning the tests now to see how the subject reacts." 

Hojo turned his head towards the boy. "049, we are to begin the basic tests."

Cloud stared at the man with confusion. "049? But my name is Cloud."

Hojo leaned forward. "Not anymore. You have no need for a name here until you prove to me you are useful. Until then, you are just a number to me."

Cloud frowned slightly, clutching his chocobo plush tighter. "But you said you would help me."

Hojo sat back up as he laughed slightly. "Oh indeed I am. And this is how I am doing it. So be quiet, and just do what you are told. You will receive all the help you need here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor little Cloud, he doesn't understand who Hojo is, and now things are going to start to happen.


	3. Someone Nice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this story so far. So let's see what Hojo is up to and what his plans are for Cloud :)

Cloud was waiting in his room quietly, as he started to think to himself about things that had transpired over the past week. Every day, he had been led down to the lab area for more tests, but he never really understood what the purpose was. He could sometimes the people down there speaking about things. Even Hojo had told him some things that were happening before; however, Cloud could not remember what it was. This was partially due to his lack of understanding of more complicated matters. After all, he was only five-years old. 

Today would be no different either. He knew that at some point, they would come and collect him and take him for more tests. He only hoped that it would be the nice lady that would come and get him. She is the only one that Cloud seemed to be at ease around. She did seem to have a personality at least, unlike the others who all wore sullen looks constantly. 

Cloud sighed as he laid back on the bed and held up Mr. Chocobo to his face. “Why they gotta keep talkin’ boring adult stuff? I just wanna go home… I wanna see mommy. Why don’t they know that?”

Cloud stared at Mr. Chocobo, hoping that maybe he would answer, but of course it was just a regular chocobo plush. It was still really the only friend that he had to talk to about things. At least he was a good listener. 

* * *

“These results are just what I am looking for. All of this, is going perfectly,” Hojo said as he wrote down notes in a file label  **Experiment No. 049.**

“Um, Professor Hojo,” one of the assistant started to say. It was the kind woman who usually went to bring Cloud down to the lab. “What is it exactly that you are trying to achieve here with Clou-... I mean 049. You still have not given us the exact details yet for this experiment.”

“Ah yes,” Hojo started as he pushed up on his glasses. “I’ve looked into the powers and capabilities of Materia many times before. But as of right now the only way people can use it, is to channel it into their weapons and armor. So my thought is… what if it could be placed into the body and used naturally?”

“Placed in the body? But...wouldn’t that be nearly fatal for the host? I can’t recall anyone ever attempting that before,” she said, a hint of concern adorning her voice. “I mean, human brainwave activity is quite sporadic, and elevated levels could cause materia to react in ways unbeknownst to us.”

“But that is the point of this research, you see. If someone is taught and trained to control that though, it is very well possible that they could keep and contain the Materia within him. The reason why Experiment 049 is the perfect choice for this is because he is the right age. He is old enough to easily learn new things and adapt while also being able to manage on his own, for the most part. Then there is the other side that he is still growing. Implementing the Materia at such a young age, his body could adapt to it.”

The assistants had all listened intently to Hojo’s explanation, which did make sense to all of them. After all, they were here to conduct research on anything deemed necessary. Though, there were still a few points to touch on about this new-age experiment.

“So, you believe experiments at such a young age will yield similar results to that of Sephiroth,” one of the older male assistants spoke aloud in response.

The female assistant then retorted. “That would make sense, of course. Though, Professor Hojo, you were going on earlier about the results of the subject’s tests. There must be something more than just his age that drew you to him repeatedly. Or do you plan to just use him as a guinea pig for this new project?” 

Hojo smirked as he looked over his files he had made about Cloud. “It is true that this experiment is intended to make someone that could equal to or possibly even rival Sephiroth’s strength. As you know he is currently only eleven-years-old and already is a 2nd Class SOLDIER. No doubt he will make 1st class by next year. But yes… there is something that is rather intriguing about this child. His blood type shows that he could grow up to be extremely strong, if taught properly, of course. Though on the other hand, he is still a young child and his mental condition isn’t the strongest, meaning that… with some manipulation he could be pushed to doing just what I want of him.”

“You, want to control him? I thought...” she trailed off as she barely stopped herself. She knew she couldn’t speak out against Hojo, but she hated to see the boy, Cloud, be put through that. She had helped with others before, but Cloud was only a child. She tried to clear her head of those stray thoughts.

“What is it Adelaide? Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet on this project? This is new and untested research. This is what we all signed up for. To study and learn from the great Professor Hojo,” one of the other assistants asserted. 

“Of course not. I agree with what Professor Hojo said. To make him a valuable asset to Shinra. Though, the research is still in developmental stages. However, I suppose that is what we are here for, to make sure it succeeds” the lady, now known as Adelaide, responded. “So, when do we start with the real tests?”

“We shall begin as soon as we can. Though there are some preliminary tests that must happen first before the rest. Experiment 049 is a child as we know, so getting him to cooperate is the one downside. We may need to use, a little bit of extra help to get him to be more willing to listen and to understand what I need of him.”

“You think we will have to use the sedatives on him?” one assistant asked. 

“If it leads to that we may have to, but I was thinking more along the lines of ways to weaken his mind so he is more vulnerable to listen and learn,” Hojo replied coldly. 

“Well maybe he will cooperate with us more easily. It would be the better option for the child at the least. I suppose...I can watch over him to make sure of that,” Adelaide responded. 

Hojo nodded. “I shall leave you in charge of watching over Experiment 049 then whenever he is not here. That shall be your other role, second to helping here when it is time for the tests. Regardless of whether he listens or not is of little importance. All that will decide is how much strain 049 will be placed under,” he replied with an icy tone.

Adelaide almost wanted to say something else, but she held her tongue. “Very well. Should I go and prepare the subject now?”

“Yes yes, we want to begin this before the sun sets today. So make haste,” Hojo replied quickly.

Adelaide did as she was told and walked towards the exit of the lab. The doors slid open as soon as she reached them, and she then strode from the lab and started making her short trip to Cloud’s room. She needed to try to convince Cloud to listen and not to disobey. It was true that she wanted to see this project through, as she was quite curious to see the results. However, she was still bothered by how concerned she was for the boy. She had never really been that compassionate, at least not anymore. But, this time was different. She tried to blank her mind though as she continued on her way.

* * *

Cloud had apparently dozed off to sleep as he slowly blinked his eyes a bit before being able to open them. He was still curled up with his chocobo toy with him, clinging to it tightly. He slowly sat up in the bed and looked around quickly to see if there was anything different about the room but everything still seemed the same. He could not tell how long he had been out, though he wished he would have been asleep longer. His dreams were far more pleasant than the place he was in now.

Cloud continued to look forward to the wall as it’s blank canvas mirrored his eyes. The only thought that crossed his mind was possibly some more rest. After a few minutes of gawking at nothingness, a sudden knock on the door startled him out his mesmerized state. 

He rotated his head slightly towards the door and watched as it creaked open slowly once again. Standing in the doorway was the same woman as before that had collected Cloud for testing. A mixture of emotions surged through his body suddenly as he felt relief and apprehension at the same time. He was thankful that she was there with him since he had found her to be quite a nice lady, but at the same time, the fact that she was there meant that he would have to go back down for more tests.

She walked into the room and approached Cloud, who was still sitting on the bed, staring at her. “Hello there, Cloud. I guess you know why I’m here now,” she said bluntly with only a slight bit of emotion in her voice. 

Cloud dropped her gaze as he hung his head. “Yeah, I know. I don’t wanna go to the scary place again though… I wanna stay here. You could stay with me,” he suggested lightly has he looked back up with a hopeful glance. Hoping that this one lady would show her nicer side today, like she had done before. 

She shook her head. “As much as that would be nice, it’s not possible. We don’t have to go immediately, so we can delay a bit and relax. But we will have to go after that okay?”

“Okay…” Cloud said as he huffed loudly at that fact. 

“So, I’ll be here with you until then. If you want to go over some things we can,” she spoke softly as she took a seat on the bed beside him and crossed her legs. 

Cloud thought briefly about what she had said when a thought rushed into his mind. “Oh! I remember. I kept forgetting to ask. What’s your name miss?”

“Oh that’s right, I never did give you my name properly. It’s Adelaide.”

“Ade- Adelay- Ady- Umm, how do you say it?” Cloud asked with embarrassment as he struggled to pronounce the longer name.

Adelaide chuckled mildly at his attempts. “Well, how about just for you, call me Addy. It’s shorter so you should be able to say it.”

“Addy… Addy! I can say that. Okay then. That’s a nice name,” Cloud uttered as he smiled at her

Addy cracked a small smile at the boy before averting her face from his momentarily. “We’ll keep that name between us okay?”

“Okay!” Cloud said in excitement. The two of them sat in silence for a little while after that.    
  
Cloud was happy to have a friend there now so that he would not be too lonely anymore. The way that Addy presented herself to him most of the time reminded him of his mother, and how warm she was towards him. He started to think about all of the ways that they were similar, but the more he thought it over, the more saddened he had become.

Suddenly, Addy heard some sniffling coming from him once again and turned to face him to see that he was wiping his eyes again. “Hey, what’s the matter now?”

Cloud tried to dry his eyes some more before looking up at her. “It’s just… I miss my mommy. I wanna see her. Why do I have to be away? It’s not fair…”

Conflicted emotions coursed through Addy’s being as she looked upon Cloud. Her scientific reasoning was in a tight-locked battle with her compassion now, which was strange since she had tried to stray from most emotions for some time now. But for some reason, she felt hooked to Cloud. 

She placed a hand on his shoulder lightly. “Unfortunately you have to be here for now. I can’t do anything about that. I know it’s hard, but try not to think too much on those things okay? That way you won’t be too sad,” she gently said, trying to be as sincere as she could. 

She didn’t want the poor boy to worry about his mother, but it was also because she knew that his mother was still out there looking for him. The other day Hojo had mentioned about a woman wandering around the edge of the premise, he figured it had to be the boy’s mother. But soon enough Cloud’s mother had left the area near the mansion and headed back towards Nibelheim. It did sadden Addy a little to think how much she would be worrying about Cloud, but there was nothing she could do to change that. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by Cloud. “But… the tests...I don’t wanna do those. I don’t like them…”

“Well, we’ve been over this earlier. You have to do the tests. Listen… think of it as a way to make you a stronger person. That way, you can protect more people. That’s what Professor Hojo had told me would happen at least,” she replied genuinely, trying to let Cloud know some of the reasons for the tests. 

He stopped whimpering as he tried to listen to what she was saying. “R-really? I could be strong? And help people? That... sounds nice…”

“Yeah, that’s right. I help people in my own way as well. It’s why I became a scientist. So in a way, I help you help others. It just takes time and sometimes…” she trailed off as she lowered her head in thought. 

Several different thoughts raced through her mind, mainly of reasons why she was there and doing what she was doing. However, she noticed that Cloud was just staring at her now, hanging on her words. She regained her composure. “Oh, sorry… just thinking about something. It doesn’t matter. What does matter is, do you understand what I’m saying?”

Cloud continued staring at her in an unmoving position as he looked like he was in deep thought on the subject. Though, Addy wondered how deep a five-year old’s mind could really go, but she waited until he finally was done. 

“Okay… I think I get it. I still don’t like the tests though…” 

“I know… they are probably hard for you. But you will pull through, okay?” 

Cloud didn’t answer verbally, he only nodded quietly as he seemed to relax a little. Addy gave him a smile as she stood back up. “If you are ready then, let’s go head down.” She held out her hand for Cloud to take. 

Cloud nodded slightly, but didn’t budge from his spot. “Can you… Can you carry me down there? It’s still scary…” 

Addy let out a short sigh before she leaned forward and nodded. “Sure, hold on tight now.” 

Cloud wrapped his arms around her and she carefully held him as she stood up properly. She cradled him gently as she walked out of the room and started to head down towards the lab. Cloud rested against her chest, not saying anything else, but he breathed steadily and peacefully. Addy couldn’t help but smile at the little boy. There was just something about him. Something about him that made her enjoy being around him. Maybe it was just a motherly instinct, but nonetheless she still enjoyed her time with him. Though she did begin to worry what would happen once Hojo took the next step of the tests. Things would only get harder from here on out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cloud is a poor little boy now stuck in a icky situation, but there is much more to happen! So thanks for reading!


	4. Under the Knife

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am posting today cause my co-author finally got a Ao3 account, so now you will see he is here. So I am just showing him how this works, but also cause I wanted to get another chapter up XD
> 
> Also as I have added to the tags, minor, very minor violence in this.

Time had passed and Cloud still remained in the mansion. Day after day, week after week, there would be more and more tests. Cloud still hated them each time. He hated how they scanned him, and poked him with needles. Every part of it was just scary and tiring. The only time he enjoyed was when he could be alone in his room with his chocobo plush. That and when Addy came to visit him. Those were the only times he enjoyed as he continued to stay in the mansion. 

As he laid on the floor of the room he held up Mr. Chocobo and stared directly at him. “I wish they would let me have toys. Or crayons. I like playing with you Mr. Chocobo, but I wanna do more.”

He waited for an imaginary answer from his plush like he usually did, but before he could continue his conversation the door opened. Addy walked in and gave him her usually kind smile. Cloud sat back up and returned the smile. 

“Miss Addy! Do you wanna play with me and Mr. Chocobo? Or… is it time for more tests?” Cloud asked as he slumped his shoulders slightly. 

She looked at him with narrowed eyes as she then squatted down to meet him at eye level. “I’m afraid so Cloud. Today is an important day. It’s finally time to start truly preparing you for the big procedure. At least that’s what Professor Hojo had told me. So we will have to go fairly soon.”

Cloud sighed. “Oh… okay. Can we play later then?”

“Well it depends on what happens in your tests. I have no idea how long the professor will keep you, or what will happen. We will have to wait and see okay?”

Cloud nodded slowly. “Okay… but…” Cloud paused for a moment before he spoke again. “Can I ever have more toys? I wanna play more, but I don’t got a lot I can do…”

Addy sighed slightly. She wanted to tell him for sure yes, but she would rather not get his hopes up too much. “Well again, we will have to wait until later. I’m sure we can find something for you to keep you occupied,” she told him firmly. 

However, she soon had an idea that could help. “Okay Cloud. If you agree to go down to the tests without much fuss, I will see about getting you some things to play with. How does that sound?”

Cloud looked at Addy and gave a small smile. “Promise?” He then out his hand, extending it pinky. “Pinky promise?”

Addy stared at Cloud, not knowing what to say. She knew that she really couldn’t promise anything yet. However, if she did nothing, then Cloud would remain upset and not be able to get down to the testing room like they were told. She resolved to do her best to make sure that Cloud would get the toys. 

“Fine,” she said as she reached out her hand slowly and extended her pinky and placed it around Clouds. “Promise.” That last word made her feel a twinge of guilt if she was not able to deliver on it, but she pushed those thoughts out of her mind next to focus on what needed to happen. 

“All right. Now, are we ready to go now?” she asked Cloud next. 

“Yeah, I’m ready,” Cloud said as he stood back up. He placed Mr. Chocobo on the bed and patted the plush on the head. “I’ll be back later Mr. Chocobo, you be good.” He then turned to face Addy. “I’m ready now.”

Addy then turned to him to pick him up like usual, but he motioned that he can handle walking as he grasped her hand and held on to it. She cracked a small smile at seeing Cloud trying to be better and led him out of the room. She took him on the usual path and after a few minutes they were down at the lab. The doors opened and they stepped inside slowly. 

“It’s about time you made it back here. We are ready to begin now,” Hojo stated as he spoke without looking in their direction at all.

Cloud inched back a bit towards Addy. As he bumped into her leg, he looked up to see her looking down at him. He used his eyes to hopefully find some form of reassurance in hers, and she then gave him a look as if telling him that he had to go.

He did not like Hojo still even after being there for so long, but he tried to be stronger like Addy had said before. After all, this was to help make him stronger and to help people too later on. Besides, he couldn’t back out now. If he did, he would not be able to have any toys. He breathed in deeply and closed his eyes as he then began to walk forward with Addy. 

“Yes, Cl- I mean, 049 said that he is ready now,” Addy said as she almost stumbled over her words. 

“Good good. This the first big test for what we truly want to happen. All of the preparations have been for this. Depending on how this goes, we will be able to move on to the next phase of the experiment. We will be well on our way to having the best SOLDIER possible,” Hojo stated with blunt intentions evident in his tone. 

Cloud wanted to speak, but chose not to instead. He figured that he would just do as he was told to do for now. He didn’t have to wait long for that though as Hojo spoke up once again. 

“Adelaide, place 049 on the table once again and we will get started with these tests in due time. I want you to stay in here to monitor the tests as well this time.”

Cloud was happy to hear that as Addy picked him up and carried him over to the table. “You get to stay this time. That’s nice,” Cloud replied to Addy as he felt the familiar coldness of the table once again as he was sitting down on top of it. . 

Hojo threw a side glance their way but remained quiet, only looking on with an indifferent expression. Addy seemed to notice this look though as she then backed away from Cloud slightly. “Okay Professor Hojo, the boy is ready now. I’ll take my position then.”

Cloud watched Addy as she walked away slowly to another corner of the room like she usually would as she took a stand behind a computer. Once there, she then glanced back over at their direction and nodded. 

The nod was in the direction of Hojo though as he then uttered more demands. “049, lie down on the table like normal. You know the procedure by now of course. This will be slightly different, but relax and we will make sure it happens quickly for you,” he spoke with an arrogant flare in his voice as a smirk was worn on his face. 

Cloud hesitated for a moment, but then decided to do as he was instructed, as he had done many times before, and laid down. However, unlike the previous times, there were a couple of assistants that came forward and grabbed his legs in order to try to strap him down. 

“Hey! Why you doing that? Stop!” Cloud said as his voice elevated to the point of loudness.

“Be quiet 049. You are required to be strapped down for this test because we cannot afford you to move even a bit. Unless of course, you would rather cause major injury to yourself. Just let them do their job and stop the useless struggling,” Hojo stated as he sounded slightly irritated. 

Cloud grunted and sulked for a few seconds, but then finally relaxed enough that the assistants could finally do what they needed to do. They strapped his legs down firmly so that he would not be able to wiggle them loose. Cloud of course tried to move them but realized that he could not. He was still unsure of what was going on and it made him even more nervous. 

Hojo then turned around and begin to move over towards him. The light shined brightly upon an object that was in his hands. It was a small, long object that looked extremely sharp on the end. It was clearly some form of metal and the edge of it resembled a knife; however, it’s size was much smaller than that. 

Cloud became even more nervous. He did not like the look of that tool. “Wh-what that?” he asked softly as his voice stuttered some. 

Hojo finally came to a stop right in front of him. “It does not matter what this is. Just know that I will be using this to make some incisions in various places. We have to determine from the research where the best place is in your body for the materia after all.” 

Some of the words that he said Cloud had never heard before, though. “Incisin? Matea? I-I don’t know what that is.”

“It means we’ve gotta cut you open some. To see about the super strong magic. Is that simple enough for you?” one of the assistants, who was a tall, burly man, retorted with an exasperated tone. 

Cut? Did he just hear the man right? They had done some poking with needles before but that was all that ever happened. Nobody said anything about being cut open before. The more Cloud thought about that, the more he worried as it sounded painful. He did not want that to happen to him. But he couldn’t even move his legs now. What could he do? And then, he realized that his arms were still loose and not yet strapped down. 

He began to start flailing his arms in an attempt to get them to stop whatever they were planning to do. Hojo then ordered the two men to seize his arms and hold him down. They were able to grab onto the boy and restrain him to a point as they pressed as hard as they could. 

Adelaide went to move from her position, but then stepped back as she knew there was nothing that she could do to help Cloud in that moment. At least, she could not help him physically. But maybe he would listen to her words. She then began walking forward with purpose. 

“Calm down. It’s okay. Just relax and be good, and it will be over before you know it. Remember what I told you,” Adelaide hinted as she looked straight at Cloud, trying to give some form of reassurance despite the situation. Though she did worry how Cloud was going to react. Hojo clearly was not going to give the boy any sedative to relax him, which brought some more concern to her. But she knew she couldn’t speak out again Hojo about that, as he had his way of doing things. 

Cloud heard her voice and he slowly stopped his outburst to turn to her and see her standing there. She was there to help just as she had said that she would be, which did ease Cloud’s mind. He knew that he could trust what she said. He then tried to calm down and listen.

“Finally. Now, I can finally proceed with what we need to do here.” 

Hojo began nearing Cloud with the metal tool, a scalpel, in hand. Cloud turned his head back to the front to see that the older man was inching ever closer with the sharp object. Although Cloud knew that Addy had helped, and even though he did his best to relax, seeing the sharpened tool come closer to him just made him uneasy. 

Hojo was close to Cloud’s face when the boy suddenly jerked wildly again. When he did, his arm came loose from one of the assistants and nearly came into contact with Hojo, who tried to avoid it. He was slightly thrown off balance though as his scalpel hand fell downward towards Cloud’s face. The blade came into contact with the boy’s lips, slicing into both of them sharply from slightly under the nose and all the way down to the dip in the chin area. 

The next thing heard through the room was an audacious, high-pitched scream from Cloud. 

Blood pooled from his lips quickly and started dripping onto his shirt after as it flowed down his face. Cloud began to flail even more wildly this time, trying his best to get up from where he was. He wanted to speak more. He wanted to say how much it hurt. But the scream had already hurt his now injured lips. Not only did he not want to stretch it and make it hurt more, but he also didn’t want the yucky taste of blood to get in his mouth again. Tears welled up in his eyes as he began bawling at the intense pain that was rushing over him.

“Hmph,” Professor Hojo huffed as he stood back up firmly.

Adelaide almost could not believe what had happened as she had gasped in surprise. She knew that cloud needed some help to alleviate his pain. Granted, she understood that Cloud not listening had partially caused that to happen, but he still was just a child at the time. As she began to move forward quickly towards the boy, Professor Hojo saw it and stopped her.

“No, do not help him. I know you want to do it but, stay there. He must learn from his mistake. Maybe now he will choose to listen next time,” he said with a coldness in his voice.

“But…”

“No buts. He will get treatment when I think he can understand well enough what has happened. Go back to your station, and monitor him as he lays here,” Hojo asserted firmly.

Adelaide wanted to protest, but there was nothing she could do. She could speak out against him. However, that could cause her to be dismissed from her post as well. And if that happened, then she would not be there for Cloud any longer and help him. She decided to bite her tongue and watch helplessly at the moment as she knew that she would still be able to be there later. 

Cloud’s eyes continued to water as the blood flowed more across his face and body. The cut still burned deeply on his face, and the pain seemed to just be growing. He couldn’t take it anymore as he opened his mouth and let out another cry. It caused even more pain, but he could no longer attempt to contain himself. He whined and screamed as the pain only grew stronger. Blood filled his mouth only for him to spit it out in between his sobs. Slowly though his head felt heavy and the room began to spin. He breathed heavily a few times before turning his head to the side. His eyes closed quickly as his body went limp. 

Adelaide held her breath as she stared wide eyed at the boy. Thankfully a moment later she noticed that he was still breathing. She quietly breathed a sigh of relief, but tried to keep a calm and serious composure as none of the others seemed to be concerned at all with what had just happened with Cloud. 

Hojo scoffed. “Such an ignorant test subject.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Cloud, (I am going to say that often I feel lol). How will this little boy live in such a cruel place? ANd what will become of him? So many questions, stay tuned to find out!


	5. Sad and Lonely Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tmart here and I am posting the next chapter today. Finally got everything on Ao3 figured out so here I am. We thank you all for reading and for the feedback we've gotten on this story. I don't really have anything else to say, but let's get to it now!

_Hojo scoffed. "Such an ignorant test subject."_

Cloud laid helpless there on the table as his lips were still bleeding profusely. Adelaide could only stare for a little while longer until she couldn't anymore. She had to say what was on her mind, no matter what the result was.

"I thought… Professor Hojo, I thought you said that we would sedate the boy. So that way he will not struggle like he did," she tried to speak as calmly as she could as her eyes never left the sad, sleeping Cloud.

Hojo cleared his throat as he pushed up his glasses slightly. "I said we _might_ have to if it comes to that. Originally my plan was to make him understand and become use to it. But now I see we will have to use sedatives. It will make the process much easier."

Adelaide nodded to him, but she wasn't done yet with her thoughts. "There is another thought that I had, if I may speak it of course."

"What is it?" Hojo asked with a slight exasperated sigh as he glanced back at Cloud.

"The child… 049. He is still a young child. And I know he is your test subject, but… I feel he needs at least some toys to play with when he is not in the lab. Maybe even some educational books. He still needs to learn if you are making him into the perfect SOLDIER."

Hojo sighed again as he seemed to be thinking about what Adelaide said. He tapped a finger to his chin until he turned to face Adelaide directly. "Very well then. I shall put you in charge of all of that then. You shall teach him and make sure he learns. You are right though, I don't want my newest SOLDIER to be uneducated."

"Understood sir. And… for the toys?" Adelaide asked, a little quieter this time.

"I suppose. But not for now. If 049 wants toys, he will have to learn how to behave and today he did not," Hojo replied coldly as he turned to look at the boy. "It's been long enough now…" He looked to the other scientists in the room. "Clean up his wound and heal it a slight bit, but don't stitch it or anything else. It will heal over time and it will be a reminder to 049 of what will happen what he doesn't listen."

Adelaide was pleasantly surprised that Hojo agreed to allow Cloud to have the toys at some point. She assumed he would refute the suggestion all together, but it was just as she had told Cloud earlier. If he acted well, then he would be able to have the toys that he wanted. She could think of nothing else at that moment to say to Hojo, except for one thing.

"Understood. Is there anything that you need me here?"

"Not at the present time. I'll send for you when you are needed. For now, just go back to your normal research job," Hojo said as he waved his arm to shoo her away.

She nodded quietly and walked off to another part of the lab to continue her job.

Hojo then went back to look at Cloud. The boy was functioning normally as he was still sleeping while his wound was being patched up for the most part. "Gah, might as well not do any more today," he said with a muffled voice.

After standing there for a few seconds, he turned back towards where Addy had gone. "When he is finished here, go and take him back to his room. I will give him a day to recuperate. After that we will bring him back here to finish what we started. Though there may be a slight delay in getting to the main part of the experiment." His voice was sharp and snappy as he spoke before turning around and walking out of the lab, obviously frustrated.

The other scientists, including Adelaide, looked after him as the door closed behind him. They all felt they had to be so uptight around the man, but once he was gone, they relaxed slightly. However, that did not change the order they were given. The others continued to work on Cloud as Adelaide would occasionally glance up to see what they were doing. She tried to not worry too much, but for some reason, it was almost like instinct.

Almost an hour passed and the other scientists finally started to leave Cloud's side. Adelaide had seen this and assumed that meant that he was patched up, and her guess was confirmed when the lead scientist looked her way and gave a slight nod. She stepped forward and scooped up the boy into her arms. He breathed slowly, stirring slightly, but did not wake from his slumber.

If it wasn't for the cut across his lips, which was now crusted over in thin, dried blood, he would have looked like was peacefully napping. Adelaide breathed in, not letting herself get distracted in thoughts about the poor boy. THat was not suppose to be her concern. She was only supposed to watch over him and now educate him. She was not to get attached to him. He was only a test subject. An experiment to Hojo. He was no longer a boy, but rather a _thing_ that Hojo could use to whatever means he wanted. It was all nothing more than that, and Adelaide knew that full well.

With a deep breath she exited out of the laboratory. She walked quietly all the way back to Cloud's room and once she was there, she placed him on the bed. He stirred again, but only ended up rolling onto his side. Adelaide looked to the side of the bed and saw Cloud's little chocobo plush still sitting there. She picked up the plush before sitting it down on the bed, right next to Cloud. Almost instinctively Cloud reached out and grabbed the plush and brought it close to his chest.

Adelaide could tell that things were going to be very difficult for Cloud. He was just a little boy and was now trapped in something no child should ever be apart of. Adelaide quickly shook her head. She had to stop those thoughts. She was not supposed to get attached. She kept reminding herself of it, yet every time she looked at the innocent little boy, she slipped up.

Gently she reached a hand down and ran her fingers through the soft golden blond hair. As soft as his hair was, there were still some strands that spiked up in various places. Mindlessly, she tried to flatten those parts out, but they would spring back up without hesitation as if saying they could not be altered. She let out a soft giggle to herself and thought to herself how cute that he looked just being peaceful like he was.

But then, she remembered. " _No no. Adelaide stop. Why am I finding it so hard to not attach myself to this boy. I mean, I sort of feel bad for him yes, but I'm a scientist. This is what we do. But still… it's strange…"_ she paused to think to herself, and then let out an almost surprised gasp.

"It couldn't be _that_ right? I mean, it's been so long since then…" she trailed off. Then, realizing she had spoken her thoughts aloud, she clasped her mouth almost instinctively, as she did not want to wake Cloud up from his slumber that he most definitely needed. Adelaide shook her head, trying to shake out the stray thoughts from her mind. Those things from earlier was nothing that she needed to concern herself with.

She thought about leaving Cloud on his own. Since he was sleeping, nothing should really happen. However, being as young as he was, it was potential that nightmares could invade his deep sleep, especially after all that had happened recently.

As if on cue, Cloud frowned and started to whimper. He squeezed the chocobo plush tightly against his chest as he turned slightly back and forth on the bed. Quickly Adelaide wrapped her arms around Cloud and pulled him in close.

"Shhh… It's okay Cloud." she shush quietly before rocking him in his arms. She could only hope it would be enough to keep him asleep, but she had a feeling that he was going to wake regardless.

The whimpers slowly morphed into sobs even though Adelaide was doing her best to give comfort. Cloud's eyes shot open as he start to act frantic. He tossed and turned and let out a scream. Adelaide could see he was completely terrified.

"Cloud, you gotta relax. I'm right here. You're okay now," Adelaide whispered softly.

She continued to cradle Cloud in her arms and started to hum to him. It was a simple melody, but it was enough to get Cloud's attention.

"M-Miss Addy… D-Did I do bad? He… he is… is mad right?" Cloud asked meekly, his whole body shaking.

His fear and tremors were no doubt caused from the event just before. Even if he wasn't asking about it, Adelaide could see it in his innocent eyes. His sweet, bright blue eyes were filled with terror. This day would surely never be forgotten from his memory.

As she sat there, she tried to think of what to say to Cloud. She didn't want to upset him more with the truth. Though Hojo was not flat out mad, he was extremely disappointed. Any of the workers could see that he was frustrated with the lack of cooperation Cloud had shown.

"Don't think about that now Cloud. You just need to rest, okay?"

Cloud tilted his head upwards, getting a better look at Adelaide. He tried to stick out his lower lip to pout, but he winced in pain. After another moment of crying he looked at her again. This time he looked to her with just big, pleading eyes.

"W-Will… Will you stay? St-Stay with me? Me and Mr. Chocobo don't wanna… don't w-wanna be alone."

"I'll stay with you. I promise that," Adelaide response. She squeezed him tightly before she laid down on the bed. Cloud adjusted him slightly so he was not completely putting all of his weight on her chest. He snuggled up close though and let out another quiet sob.

"I'm s-sorry miss Addy… I'm sorry if I was b-bad today."

Adelaide moved a hand carefully, placing it behind Cloud's head. She began to stroke his head, fingers through his hair.

"Stop thinking about that now. Let's think about happy things. Like… Like chocobos. Think about playing with your Mr. Chocobo. That's fun isn't?"

Cloud sniffled before he nodded. "Y-Yeah that's fun. Th-thank you miss Addy."

"You're welcome Cloud. Now just go back to napping. We can go get food afterwards."

Cloud nodded again before closing his eyes. After a little while the two of them drifted off into sleep. Adelaide still worried about what Cloud would think about his injury, but that was a thought for another time. All she wanted was to ease the boy as much as he could. It was only going to get harder from that point on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cloud is just having a rough time for sure. The poor boy. So much more is happening to him, but at least it seems like there is someone to care and help him. Maybe? Well, you'll just have to stay tuned to see more. Until next time!


	6. A Bit of Playtime

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tis time for the next chapter, thank you all so far for reading and liking this story. Hope you enjoy what we got next :)

Cloud wrapped himself in his bed sheets. He was wishing that everything would go away at the moment. He wanted it to go away and he wanted to wake up in his own bed. Having his mother by his side and telling him all he had seen was a bad dream. That was what he wanted, but it wouldn’t happen. Enough time had passed that Cloud started to think that he would never get to see his mother again. 

He wasn’t even sure how much time had passed now. He was too young to understand those things. Though he had learned about the months of the year from his mom, he couldn’t remember them in full yet. He had no idea what month it was what that mean for how long he had been at the mansion. 

All he did know was that there was more and more tests that came every day. Each day more poking and checking over him. He still didn’t understand one part of it. None of it made any sense why they were doing that, and no one cared to explain it. Not even Miss Addy. She wouldn’t even tell him why they were doing all these hurtful and scary things to him. 

But aside from that, she was still the only one who cared. She played with him every time he wasn’t having tests. And she taught him many things. She taught him how to count higher than he ever had before and how to add numbers and subtract. All the things she taught him were new and fresh to him and he found himself amazed by all of it. 

“Maybe she can teach me more about the months, then I can know what month it is,” Cloud mumbled as he looked to Mr. Chocobo who laid next to him. “I bet she knows. She knows a lot of cool stuff.”

Now feeling a bit better than he was moments ago, Cloud crawled out from the sheets of his bed. He took Mr. Chocobo with him as he hopped off the bed and ran to the toy chest that was adjacent to his bed. It was a fairly new addition to the room, but he couldn’t have been more happy for it. 

After the incident where he hurt his lip, he still felt completely terrified. But every day before the tests, Miss Addy would talk to him and relax him. He knew the only way to get toys was to behave, and he really, really, wanted to have more toys. So he did as she asked, and tried to be on his best behavior since then. 

And now because of that he had a couple of new toys. He now had a possible Cactuar toy, chocobo themed go-fish cards, a little top hat he could strapped onto Mr. Chocobo, and also a ball that had chocobos all over it. 

“Do you wanna play with Mr. Cactuar today?” Cloud asked Mr. Chocobo. “Or should we dress you with your fancy hat?”

Cloud waited like he normally did unlike he felt like Mr. Chocobo had given a good enough answer. “Okay! Both it is! We could have another adventure with him, right?” 

Cloud smiled happily as he reached into the toy chest to pull out what he needed. Just as he was setting the hat on Mr. Chocobo, there was a knock on his door. Cloud looked towards the door and stared. He knew normally there was only one person who came to see him, but sometimes it was one of the others. But the others weren’t as nice as Miss Addy, and usually made mean faces to him when they saw him playing with his toys. Cloud didn’t understand why they looked at him so mean, but he didn’t want that to happen again. 

He wanted to be sure who was out there before he did anything else. “Who is it?”

“It’s me, Cloud,” Miss Addy’s voice came from the other side. 

“Yay! You can come in!” Cloud shouted happily.

The door opened up and Miss Addy walked in, carrying a plate of food. She smiled gently at Cloud. “I’ve got some nice food here for you.”

“Oh that looks good! Thank you Miss Addy,” Cloud replied with joy as he dropped what he was doing to go and look. 

Addy glanced over to where he got up from and noticed what he had been doing. “Oh I see that you have been playing with your toys. I take it you’re enjoying them then?”

“Oh yes, a lot! Mr. Chocobo is dressed up now and has some more friends too. It’s really nice.”

“That’s good to hear then. Well, I am currently not having to work too much at the moment. So eat up all you want. I will be right here with you. And… if you clean off your plate, I’ll play with you again, okay?” she suggested, hoping that would get his attention.

Just as she suspected, his eyes lit up with excitement at hearing that. “Oh boy! I’ll do it then. So that we can play.”

Cloud did not utter another word as he tore into the food that had been delivered to him. It was almost as if he had not eaten in a long while, even though it had only been earlier that morning. To Addy ’s surprise though, Cloud actually managed to eat the vegetables that were on his plate as well, which he normally did not do. Though, he was slower about eating those, and occasionally looked up to see if Addy was watching him, which she was. In a few more minutes, he had completely finished and hopped up promptly from the floor.

“Okay I’m done! We can play now right?” Cloud wondered with glee in his voice.

Addy almost wanted to laugh, but quelled the desire. “Sure, sure, I did promise that we would. All right, so what is it that you want to play then?”

“Ahh, actually I had a question,” Cloud started, remembering what he had been thinking about earlier. “Can you teach me something?” 

“Oh? But it isn’t time for your next lesson, are you really eager to learn more?” Addy asked, a small smile crossing her face. 

She was happy to see that Cloud wanted to learn more. After all she was in charge of teaching him and trying to make sure he was learning all he could. It would take time, seeing as he was only five years old, but Hojo had the intent that Cloud could be taught to be smarter than average. That was the goal anyways. But Addy knew it would still have to start at a slow pace. But the sign he was ready to learn all on his own was promising. 

Cloud look excited. “I wanna learn more about the months. I still can’t ‘member them real good.”

“The months. That is a good thing to learn. Well to start, there are twelve months in a year. And they are split into four seasons. Do you know what the seasons are?” 

“Uuuh I think so? Isn’t it summer, winter, spring, and fall?”

Addy smiled again. “That’s correct, good job Cloud. But the order of them is; winter, spring, summer, and fall. Then it goes back to being winter and it starts all over again.”

“They just keep going and going?” Cloud asked. He had remembered hearing about that before, but it was still strange for his little mind to think. 

“Yes, that’s right Cloud. Now even though the months start off in winter, I will tell you what month we are in now. This is the month of August, and it is a summer month.”

“I know that month at least. That’s when my birthday is! Or… it’s supposed to be. That’s what mommy told me anyways,” Cloud said as he grew more silent. 

He had not thought about his mom in a couple of weeks. Thoughts still lingered in his head about her and what she might be doing at the time. He wondered if she was worried about him, as he was about her. He still missed her, and wanted to see her, but he knew that it would never happen. A loud sigh escaped from his small mouth as he lowered his head some in thought about it. 

Addy must have realized what was on his mind. She drew closer to him and placed her arm around him. “Hey, it’s all right. It’s natural to still think about all of those things. Just take the time if you need it okay?”

Cloud accepted the warm hug that he was given and tried to relax some. Having someone like Addy to comfort him helped more than he thought it would as he soon calmed back down. His mind shifted gears like nothing had happened as he went looked up at Addy and smiled. “Okay, I think I’m good now. Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it,” she added in. “Now where was I… Oh! I actually wanted to ask you when your birthday was. Do you know the day?”

“Umm… I, uh, don’t really know that good either. How would I know?”

“Here, I’ll help you.” Addy pulled out a miniature calendar from her coat pocket. She always kept one on her so that she could keep track of the days as well, just in case that technology happened to fail them. Some would call her old-fashioned, but she liked to think of herself as well-prepared. 

She finally showed it to him. “So, which one of these days is it then?”

To Cloud, it looked like a paper with some strange words and numbers on it. The word at the top was something that he didn’t know how to read, but he thought that it might be the current month that Addy had just told him. The numbers were in an arrangement that he still had not grown accustomed to, but he still knew what numbers were by looking at them. After looking it over he finally noticed the one that caught his eye. 

“I think that’s it there. It’s the one with two ones. I remember seeing that because it was easy to remember,” Cloud said cheerfully as he pointed. 

Addy smiled. “Oh that’s good to know then. That’s only three days away then. Maybe I’ll have to do something about that then. Would you like that Cloud?”

He beamed thoughtfully. “Y-You’re gonna get me something for it?! Yay!”

“Well, I am not sure yet, but I will see what I can do. Now that we have figured that out, you wanted to play right?”

“Yeah of course! Let’s play dolls. Here, you can be Mr. Cactuar. I’ll be Mr. Chocobo... ” he started to say as the rest of his words trailed off to her ears. 

_ “Well, I guess that now I have that information, I will have to give to it Professor Hojo. I am surprised we never acquired this information before. I guess with wanting to start as soon as possible, something like that did not occur to Professor Hojo. But now that we know, he can start the materia infusion as soon as Cloud is old enough. I almost feel bad for prying about that information, but I genuinely did want to know. I still feel… confused about all this. I want to help the boy, but at the same time, I know I have to do my job. I don’t want to see him hurt again though. I just… hope the tests they run next will be better than the last.” _

“...Miss Addy?” The question of her name finally drew her out of her own head. 

“Oh, hey, sorry about that. I was thinking about some things.”

“What were you thinking about?” Cloud asked curiously, not thinking at all something like that was nosy.

Addy couldn’t tell him what was really on her mind. “It was nothing much. Just thinking of what your birthday gift might be since you’ve been really good these last few weeks.” 

That was a lie.

Cloud of course, did not know but was excited at the prospect. “I can’t wait! Thank you Miss Addy. You’re the best!”

His innocence was quite alluring and just made her smile almost every time. Though, now she would have to come through on her promise to actually get him something.  _ “What would he like though? Oh! Maybe I can get him a female chocobo toy. Or some more accessories for the one that he already has. He does like chocobos quite a bit. I guess I’ll have to think of something now…” _

Before she drifted too far off into thought, she decided to focus what time she had on trying to make Cloud happy, even if it was for a little bit. She picked up the cactuar doll that he had given her and started to make some walking motions with it towards him and his chocobo.

Cloud saw this and reacted in stride. “Ooh, it looks like Mr. Cactuar is coming to visit. Why, hello Mr. Cactuar!”

Addy smiled once again at Cloud’s enthusiasm. “Well, hello there… uh, Mr. Chocobo.”

That last part was a struggle to get out, as she was not used to playing pretend like that. But it was all that Cloud needed was to know she was engaged as the two of them continued on playing for quite some time that afternoon together. 


	7. The First Materia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! A brand new chapter is here for all of ya!! Thank you all so much for finding interest in the story so far. And heh, we hope you enjoy what it is to come.

Cloud was trying to get some sleep, curled up tightly in the bed sheets. He tried and tired, but he couldn't get himself to drift off. He let out a big sigh before kicking the covers off of him. He reached over and grabbed Mr. Chocobo and held him closely, staring at his little sewn on eyes.

"Mr. Chocobo… I wanna sleep but I just can't… I want miss Addy to be here… but I don't know where she goes at night. Maybe I can ask her tomorrow…"

Cloud waited quietly as he made up a response for Mr. Chocobo, but no matter what he tried, he couldn't figure out what to have him say. "I guess you don't even know what to do anymore…"

Cloud had Mr. Chocobo lowered his head, clearly upset by the truth of the matter. With no idea what else to ask or say to Mr. Chocobo Cloud rolled over onto his side. He still held on to his plush friend, holding him close, but no words or thoughts could come to his mind.

So many days had passed and he had no idea how many it had been now. He already was bad at keeping track of time, but so much of it had gone by that he couldn't even be sure. He only knew that it was feeling like a long, long time.

Suddenly the door creaked up and Cloud threw the covered over his head. He held onto Mr. Chocobo even tighter than before as the footsteps came closer. He had no idea who and why anyone would be here in his room late at night. This had never happened before and it just seemed weird and scary to him. He only wished that they would just go away, whomever they were. This was not going to help him fall asleep, not at all.

"Cloud? Are you awake?"

Cloud straighten up. He knew that voice and he liked that voice. Slowly he pulled back the covers and peaked out. "Miss Addy?"

"Yes Cloud, it's me. I wasn't expecting you to be awake."

"I couldn't sleep. Just can't even if I try. Can you help stay with me and help me sleep? Please?"

Miss Addy stared long and hard, her expression unwavering. Finally she sighed and shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't. I actually am here to collect you."

"But why?" Cloud asked as he sat up. "It's not daytime. That's when the tests are. Not at night."

"Hojo has decided to move things along now that it has been a few months since your birthday and you are now 6-years-old."

"Move things along? What does that mean? What do we need to move?" Cloud asked.

Addy shook her head again. "I can't really explain it. You just need to listen to me Cloud, okay? Let's hurry along before Professor Hojo gets angry from waiting." She held out her hand for Cloud to come and take.

He still wasn't sure what all of this was about, but he did know he didn't want to upset Professor Hojo. That man was still very scary to him, so upsetting him was the last thing he wanted to do. So he reached out and took Miss Addy's hand.

They walked down the normal way to the lab and when they got down, Hojo was already there along with several other scientists. Cloud shuffled closer to Miss Addy. He didn't really like the others. None of them were nice like Miss Addy was.

"Good, you made it here. 049 get on the table like usual and we can begin."

Cloud felt Miss Addy's hand let go of his and he was on his own now. Carefully, he made his way to the cold metal table. He climbed up there as best as he could and laid down. He knew what was coming next anyways. More poking and testing. More of the stuff he didn't like.

He laid down without being told and waited for them to start looking him over. But this time something else seemed to happen. Rather than just the normal procedure, some of the other workers came to strap down Cloud to the table… just like that one time before that left him with a scar on his lip.

He started to breath faster when his eyes fell onto Miss Addy. She walked over to him and placed her hand on his forehead. "It's okay Cl… 049. You are going to be okay this time."

Cloud was happy to hear her tell him that, but he frowned when she called him 049. It always seemed when they were down here with Hojo and the others, she would call him 049 just like the rest of them did. Cloud didn't understand why though.

"You won't even know what is happening. You are just going to take a short nap, okay?" Addy said. "Trust me."

"But… if they are poking me how can I sleep?" Cloud asked.

"Just close your eyes and you will see."

Cloud did as he was told and seconds later he felt something over his mouth. The air started to taste funny and he was about to open his eyes when he felt Miss Addy's gentle hands cover them. "Shh… just relax. You are going to be okay. Just focus on sleeping and having a nice nap."

Slowly Cloud did start to feel drowsy. He didn't even have a chance to ask how the weird air was making him sleeping. His eyes and entire body felt heavy and his mind quickly drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

When Cloud opened his eyes he saw that everyone was staring at him. He wondered if he had really been asleep or not. He couldn't remember actually sleeping, just that he had closed his eyes and now he was awake again.

Though after looking around for a few seconds he started to feel strange. He felt awfully warm and he wasn't too sure why. Carefully he sat up once he saw that he wasn't being tied down to the table. There were still a lot of people in lab coats that were staring at him and writing things down. Quickly Cloud started to scan the room, looking for Miss Addy.

After a moment he found her standing in back and once their eyes locked she moved forward. "Hey, so… 049, how are you feeling?"

"I'm okay… but I feel warm. Like if I am under a lot of blankets really warm… or if I am sick or something."

"Well that is a sign for something then," Miss Addy said before glancing over to Professor Hojo, who was writing something down on hi own piece of paper.

He then looked up and placed the paper on the desk. "Yes, that is correct 049. It seems what I have planned is going to work perfectly."

"What? What worked? Something happened?" Cloud asked softly.

Hojo chuckled. "A meer child like yourself wouldn't understand, but you are my next greatest project. You hold promise for the future and the power that materia can bring."

Materia. Cloud remembered hearing that word once before. But it felt like it was a really long time ago now since last he heard that word used. Though hearing it spoken again made him feel really uncomfortable. He started to breath a little faster and the warmth he felt was rising.

"I still… I still feel really warm…" Cloud murmured.

"Of course you would. The fire materia is planted into your body now. Considering it is fire matiera, the initial reaction would be making you feel warm," Hojo answered.

Cloud's breathing picked up even more. The materia… whatever that was…. Was inside his body? What did that mean? What was it doing? Was that why he felt so warm? Cloud suddenly felt like he couldn't breath. The room around him was beginning to blur and spin and no longer could he focus.

He reached up to place a hand on his throat, still unable to breath properly.

As soon as his fingers touched his throat, he screamed.

His hand felt far warmer than the rest of his body. It was more than just warm… it was hot… like how he remembered the stove would be when his mother cooked food. Or even the fireplace they lit on cold winter nights.

Why did his hand feel that hot?

Cloud tried to process his thoughts, but now there was a searing pain on this throat and all of his concentration went to that. He tried to keep focusing on it, but suddenly he felt very sleepy again and once more his mind gave into the darkness of another dreamless sleep.

* * *

Addy stared with wide eyes at what she had just bore witness too. Her heart was racing and she was afraid of it bursting out any given second. Slowly she covered her mouth in an attempt to cover up the sob that tried its best to escape. She couldn't let the others see her like this. Showing a weakness for the boy was the last thing that she wanted to show. She knew full well that Hojo would disapprove of her showing sympathies to one of his… specimens.

But the sight of Cloud being injured once again still made her worry. This time it was far more severe than before. This time it wasn't Cloud freaking out that cause someone else to hurt him, like what happened last time with the scar on his lip. This time… Cloud had unconsciously caused the fire matiera to come to his hand… and it nearly burned his neck.

Thankfully Hojo was right on top of things nad made sure that he had the other assistants at the ready with cure materia and everything else. They had also cast a quick sleep spell over him since the gas would have taken too long to get to him.

The burn was able to be cured before anything too severe could happen, but even with it being cured… the magic could only do so much. He was saved and there wouldn't be any damage... none that would be detrimental to him. But there was now a light bit of discoloration in his skin, right on his neck.

Another scar for a boy who only recently turned six.

Though none of that matters to a man like Hojo. He smiled while looking over the unconscious boy. "It's working perfectly. Though it does make me think of a new theory. With the materia in his body, I wonder if it will adapt over the years so the magic cannot hurt him since it would be coming from him. Though from a quick inspection, his hand does not seem to have any level of a burn. Hmm… we shall have to see about how this may develop. If it doesn't… precautions will have to be taken."

Hojo then straightened up and faced the rest of his team. "Either way, what we have started here is proving to be a success. You all saw how 049 was able to produce fire from his own hand. Not only that, but his eyes glowed the green color of the magic materia, meaning it is generating the power through his body. Imagine what he could do once we properly train him how to use it!"

A small round of contained applause started from the assistants, even Addy joined in, though her eyes were still locked on Cloud. There was a pang in her heart the longer she stared at the boy. Just how much pain and suffering was he going to go through at this rate? Addy wondered this to herself often, but there was no clear answer in sight.

"Adelaide," Hojo said. "049 is going to have to stay here for the time being. He will remain down here in the lab until we are certain he can contain the fire matiera without bringing damage to himself or anything else."

"Understood," Addy replied before walking over to the young blond child.

Once she approached the table, she saw that the boy began to slightly stir. Some grunts and whimpers came from his mouth, like he was trying to form the words to say. He tried to move his body some, but it was back to being strapped down to the table for now. Upon feeling some resistance, that was enough to jar Cloud awake.

"W-Where… am I?" he wondered sleepily, his eyes looking drained and heavy.

He looked around slightly and fluttered his eyes a couple more times. Then he landed on a familiar face. "M-Miss Addy?"

"Yes, I'm here. And to answer your question, you're still in the testing room."

Cloud looked like he was about to say something, but then a look of confusion spread across his young face. He then relaxed again and faced forward. "Oh, I see…"

"Good you're awake 049. It seems that things were a success, besides your little… mishap. As I was just explaining to everyone, you'll be staying down here for the next few nights until we can make sure everything is working smoothly," Hojo said as he walked towards the boy.

"B-But… down here? I wanna go back to my room…" he trailed off, his emotions starting to flare up as he felt his temperature rising.

"Now now, don't get too worked up. Don't want to have another accident, do you?" Hojo implied, almost sneering at 049. "Show him," he directed towards Adelaide.

She hesitated, but knew not to say anything against the professor. She didn't want Cloud to feel any worse. But hesitantly, she grabbed the mirror that was on the table and positioned it in front of Cloud so that he could see himself.

When he finally looked, he let out a large gasp. His hands immediately found their way to his neck. He saw in the mirror a large burnt area on his neck that nearly made its way to his jaw line. It was slightly darker than his normal skin tone, obvious that there had been some damage before. His small fingers traced over the wound that he finally remembered had occurred earlier, though the mark itself did not hurt. But then, he felt a slight heat coming from his hands though, and immediately put his hands back down. A long sigh escaped from the boy's mouth, followed by a faint whimper.

"Yes, good good. You remember what you have done. Just don't do it again. I need you in good condition 049. I'll be back tomorrow. I expect you to be better. Adelaide, take care of him," Hojo responded as he turned sharply and directed everyone else to leave along with him.

Once the room was empty, it was finally just Adelaide and Cloud. She looked over at the boy, and saw that small tears began to well in his eyes and trickle down his face.

"What's wrong, Cloud?"

Cloud had to sniffle for a moment, but was finally able to answer. "I-I don't like this…"

Adelaide sighed loudly. "I know Cloud. I wish it wasn't like this but I'll be here okay?"

Cloud nodded his head in understanding, though he still began to cry. Adelaide hated seeing him like that. Deep inside, she wanted to do more to help him, even though she knew that she shouldn't feel that way. All she could do was to follow orders and stay with him. After all, it was her job to watch over him. She pulled up a chair and sat down close to Cloud, preparing for a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for all of those who have read so far. We are happy to hear any thoughts or comments you may have. It's always very nice to see. Thanks again for reading!


	8. Harsh Training

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, here we go with the next chapter! We thank you all for reading as always, and we are really excited about this chapter!  
> Also! Minor violence warning for this chapter!

Cloud stood in the room, staring down at a wooden pillar. He stared down at it then to his side. There were several other pillars, but then were now black and smelled. Smoke drifted off the others but the one in front did not.

A static sound came into the room and a second later there was a voice. "Go at it again 049. There is one pillar left."

Cloud sighed before holding out his hand at the pillar.

It was Hojo. Professor Hojo was speaking to him again through the speakers into the room. He was telling him what to do again.

That's how it had been over the past couple months. It was still confusing to him what had happened before. Something happened that gave him the power to make fire from his hands. It always made him feel very warm when he did it. It was no longer as bad as the first time, but every time he tried using the fire, he felt warm inside. It was almost a bit comforting.

But it still made no sense.

Hojo and the others said it was just because be was 6-years-old. Even Miss Addy said that. That he was too young to understand what was happening to him, but he should embrace it. He still didn't know what any of it meant, but when Miss Addy told him everything would be all right, he believed her.

"049, do I need to break it down for you again?" Hojo's voice came again, this time a little more annoyed. "The pillar. Use the fire. Now."

Cloud nodded, but he still did not do anything else. His eyes now drifted down to what he wore. When he was put in this room he wasn't allowed to wear his normal clothes. They made him put on this weird white outfit that covered his body. They said that it was to protect him in case he got out of control. The outfit would protect him from anything too dangerous.

"049!" Hojo was yelling this time. "Stop standing there like an idiot and cast the damn magic already! My patience is growing thin."

The words and sudden yelling made Cloud flinch. He didn't really like it when he was yelled at, but the annoyance in Hojo's voice was obvious. He knew that if he didn't do something quickly, that it might happen again, or something worse. Cloud shook his head and tried to not think about that.

"Y-Yessir. Sorry."

Cloud focused intently on the last pillar. He concentrated as hard as he could, funneling the magic energy through his being. He started to feel warmer and warmer as he prepared to let it all out in one blow. There was a certain point he had gotten used to that felt just right, and once he reached it, he knew that he could cast the spell. He transferred the energy to his hand, which erupted with fire in the next second.

The flames hit the pillar, causing it to light on fire. It was a small flame, not as large as the previous ones that he had done. That was due to him being tired from the constant stress from doing one after another, after another. However, the flame kept burning, growing as it spread on the pillar.

His body began to slowly cool back down, though now he was breathing heavier than before as well. He hoped that test was good enough for Hojo, as he didn't think that he had anymore tried left in him for the day.

Hojo soon buzzed over the intercom once again. "Well, the last attempt was meager. But I suppose that is all you are capable of at the time. We'll keep working on it later. That's all."

A sigh escaped from Cloud's mouth. He was thankful that things were done for the day. He was ready to go back to his room now and rest. Now that he had been doing this for months, he was finally let out of the lab and could go sleep back in his room. He had never liked the lab. Not only was it the place where all the horrible and hurtful tests happened, but it was also cold and lonely.

When he exited the room, there were lab people ready to take back the white outfit and give him back his normal clothes. He changed quickly and walked back to the main area of the lab where he saw Miss Addy waiting for him.

Quickly his mood brightened as he walked over to her and gave her a hug. "Miss Addy! Did you see how I did? Did I do good?"

"You did fine," she answered him quickly. "Now, let's get you back to your room now."

She held his hand as they walked back out of the basement and towards his room. Once they were there, he ran into the room and flopped onto his bed. Mr. Chocobo had been waiting like he always had and Cloud gave him a big hug.

"I'm back Mr. Chocobo! I had to do more of the fire burning stuff again," he explained to his little plush friend. "It was easier than the last time."

Addy stepped into the room, watching Cloud carefully. She smiled a little bit before dropped it. "Cloud…" she spoke softly. She knew she was still not suppose to use his original name anymore, but when they were alone, she still could not help it.

Cloud turned around, facing her. "Yes Miss Addy?"

"We need to begin your lessons today."

Cloud frowned. "Do I have to? I'm tired after doing all the fire stuff."

"Yes, I am afraid you must. Hojo wants you to keep learning."

Cloud kept on frowning, not wanting to move from his spot on the bed. "But I wanted to play with Mr. Chocobo."

Addy straightened up. She knew how hard it was to deal with Cloud some of these days. He was still only a child and he didn't understand anything that they were doing to him. But she knew she couldn't give in. She had to resist his sad, lonely little eyes. "How about you bring Mr. Chocobo to learn with you? Just as long as you behave and don't get distracted by him being there."

"Oh! Okay! Do you wanna do some learning?" Cloud asked his chocobo. He smiled a second later. "All right! Let's go learn!" He jumped off the bed and ran over to Miss Addy, all while bringing Mr. Chocobo with him.

* * *

Over the next three months, Cloud made small but steady strides in training with the fire materia. He had grown more used to the feeling that it gave him that it was almost second nature to him. Despite his desire to not have to do the training over and over again, he knew he was bettering himself at it, which did make him slightly happy since he was not struggling as much. Though, Hojo would never say anything good about his progress, so Cloud was more than happy when the man would just not show up at times.

According to Addy, Professor Hojo would make trips at least every week to Midgar to Shinra's headquarters. Sometimes, he would be gone for days at a time. The other scientists were not as strict as Hojo, but they still did everything they had been instructed to do. Cloud was at least happy to hear the praise and comfort from Miss. Addy when they were alone.

Right now, Cloud was just practicing his training exercises again. But he was only in private with Adelaide at the time, which made things easier for him.

"Okay, that's good Cloud. Now just try to control a little bit more."

He was holding a small ball of fire in his hand and trying to keep it from going out of control. This was supposed to help with his focus and concentration. At least that was what he was told by the scientists and Miss. Addy.

"I'm trying, but it's really hard. Can I stop now?" Cloud complained, visibly showing signs of frustration.

Adelaide sighed. "Yes, go ahead for now and take a break. I'm just trying to make sure you are good enough to prevent the Professor from taking it out on you."

Though admittedly while that was true, she also did not want to be held responsible for the child's lack of discipline and progress. So she was working for her own good too. Hojo already knew that she had formed some attachment to the boy, which he was highly disapproving of. But she tried her best to convince Hojo that with her using Cloud's trust, he would be more willing to do more of what was needed. It was truly a dirty thing she had to do, but she knew it was the only way to not cause any trouble for Cloud because of her.

She spoke up again once Cloud came out of the training room and back in his regular clothes. "I'll come and get you when we need to start training again, okay? There are still some more things you need to complete for today."

Cloud sighed. "Okay, I get it."

"I'll see you soon."

"Okay, see you Miss Addy," Cloud said before he strolled off to his room by himself.

When he got there, he ran to flop on the bed as he always did. He would do that before grabbing Mr. Chocobo and hugging him tightly. It was the best stress reliever that he had. He knew he could always count on Mr. Chocobo to cheer him up.

Eventually he sat back up and his eyes fell over to the tall mirror in the corner of the room. He slowly made his way off the bed and over to the mirror. He got up closer and stared at who he saw reflected in the mirror.

He knew he saw himself… but now he looked… so different.

He had been staring at his reflection before, once he started noticing things were different. The most noticeable things were the scars. The lip and neck scars were faint at this point, but he could still see them. His eyes always fell right to looking at them first. A reminder of times he had been bad.

But now in recent weeks there was another thing that drew his attention. Ever since he had gotten the fire materia, he knew that the inside of him was different with it being so warm. But now the outside as well was different.

His hair had began to change color. There were spots and highlights on his hair that were no longer his usual golden, but inside a very pale yellow. It was almost white in some spots. He didn't actually know if it had to do with the fire or not, but it had started after he used the fire more and more. He didn't know what it meant either, but he knew asking about it would get him nowhere. He wasn't supposed to ask questions unless he was being spoken too and given permission to ask something anyways.

" _Maybe I could ask Miss Addy though. She would tell me at least."_ At least, that is what Cloud thought at first, before remembering that she had left him to be alone for now. He resolved that he would ask her later when she came back to get him.

Without doing much else, he slowly walked away from the mirror, dragging his feet to the bed and plopping down. He grabbed his favorite plush and held it tight.

"I hope this all gets better soon. It's got to right?"

There was no response to be heard.

"I guess you don't know either then Mr. Chocobo. Oh well…"

Cloud's thoughts trailed off as he turned over on his side and curled up. He began to feel tired suddenly, and decided he would just take a nap. But it was harder to doze off with his mind swirling with so many thoughts. But eventually, everything around him faded away as he drifted off.

* * *

"Today things will be different," Hojo stated through the speaker.

Cloud stood as straight as he could while Hojo was speaking, showing him that he was in fact listening. The room was empty this time around. There were no pillars or other objects that he had been practicing with. He didn't know how different things would be, only that they were going to be different.

"With the progress you have made over these past months, it is time we finally move up to the next level. Bring in the specimen."

The door opened and one of the lab workers came in with a small bag. Something was whining and shifting around in the bag and before Cloud could think about the the lab worker tossed the bag into the center of the room and ran out. The door slammed, but Cloud kept his eyes on the bag, wondering what was inside it.

Slowly the creature wiggled and worked its way out of the bag, that actually wasn't even tied shut. Cloud let out a gasp once he saw what it was.

"A… A Nibel wolf puppy?" he asked without thinking.

"Yes. Since you will hopefully one day be out in the field, you need to learn to attack a moving object or creature," Hojo replied.

"But… it's a wolf puppy," Cloud said, again not thinking about what he was saying. He wasn't supposed to speak back to Hojo. He was never supposed to do that.

He could hear Hojo grumble. "Yes, we can all see that. But now you need to do what you always do, but this time at the wolf."

Cloud stared at the wolf who was now sniffing and wandering around the room. It was strange, but he swore he had seen it before. Could this little wolf… be the same one that he had chased? The very same little wolf puppy he ran after that led him up to the mansion?

He was in the room with the puppy, and Hojo wanted him… to do exactly what he had been doing before? Hojo… wanted him to attack the puppy? To use his fire magic on it?

Cloud shuddered. "I… I um…" he cut himself off this time from saying too much.

"Do not test my patience 049. Do as you are told and ignite it."

The wolf stopped walking around and perked up its ears. It looked in the direction of Cloud and tilted its head slightly. Cloud stared at it and still had the overwhelming urge to want to pet it and call it cute.

Cloud nearly cracked a smile at the wolf puppy, but he wasn't able to stare at it for long before another roar came over the intercom system.

"049! Stop dawdling and just do what I ask. At this rate you'll never be a SOLDIER of any kind."

Cloud shuddered again, with the raised voice making him uneasy. He didn't like being talked to like that, it made him uncomfortable, but there was nothing he could do about it. He knew in order to stop it, he would have to do what Hojo said. He stared back long and hard at the wolf, raising his hand towards it shakily in the process.

"Yes, that's it now," Hojo added.

His hands continued to shake as he kept looking towards the puppy. As the two looked at each other, the puppy then stuck its tongue out, sporting a large grin on its face. Cloud's heart sunk. He just couldn't do it. He couldn't bring himself to speak up at all, not wanting to say something wrong. But he knew he would be in trouble anyways. Why should he have to do something like this? It wasn't fair.

"Damn! Must I make myself any more clear?!" Hojo yelled out suddenly.

The door to the room was suddenly opened, and Cloud looked to see who it was. Entering was Hojo, who looked quite upset. Cloud shifted slightly to the side and put his arm down, since he was not wanting to harm the creature. In the next moment, Hojo was right in his face with hands placed on his shoulders. Cloud flinched from the tightness of the grip, and then Hojo began to shake the boy without any care or consideration.

"What part of burn that damn dog don't you understand?! When I give you an order you do it. You are _my_ specimen _. My_ test subject," Hojo spat fiercely at Cloud.

Tears began to form in Cloud's eyes, as he was visibly upset from all of the screaming. "I… I… don't want to hurt it…" Cloud muttered out amid quick breaths.

"I don't care what you want to do or don't want to do." Hojo then turned Cloud around to face the puppy, holding him there with his weight. "I will hold you here until you do what I say. Do you understand?"

Cloud choked on his sobs, unable to answer Hojo. The little wolf had come closer, still looking curious and happy at the same time. The longer the puppy started at him, the harder it was becoming, but he could already feel the warmth generating in his body, traveling down to his hand. He didn't want to do it, but Hojo was telling him to. He had no choice, but he still did not raise his hand.

Cloud grimace once he felt Hojo digging his nails into his shoulders. "I said, do you understand!?"

"Y-Yes…"

Cloud raised his hand again and the puppy came right up to sniff his hand. Cloud shut his eyes, trying to force the tears to stop. He couldn't even breathe straight anymore with the continuous sobs from his throat.

Then as soon as he felt the heat form in his hand, he heard sounds that he wished he never had to hear.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Cloud again.  
> But also check it out! I (Co Author Riku) drew some little art this time based on what Cloud is starting to look like. I may have made the neck burn scar a little took dark, but I am learning lol. 
> 
> Anyways thank you all as always for reading!


	9. The Second Materia

Cloud clutched his pillow tightly, not loosening his grip at all. He was sure if he held it any tighter that he could tear right through the pillow. But he also knew if he did that he would no doubt get in trouble, and being in trouble again was the last thing he wanted.

The sounds echoed in his mind. They tormented and taunted him every time he tried to clear his head. Those horrible sounds refused to leave and instead wanted to cling to him and deep themselves deeper into his mind.

Cloud turned onto his side, still holding onto the pillow. He saw on the edge of his bed sat Mr. Chocobo, sitting there and watching him quietly. Cloud sighed as he let go of the pillow and went to hugging his plush friend.

"Mr. Chocobo… I did something really bad and scary today… but Hojo said I had to… he made me do it. He told me that how I did it was good, but then he yelled at me for not listening right away. It was really scary though. He's still really scary."

Cloud gave Mr. Chocobo a light squeeze. It was still the only kind of comfort he could get. He only wished that Mr. Chocobo could talk to him, to give him the answers he wished he knew. But Mr. Chocobo only knew as much as he did despite what he always wished for.

Suddenly there was a knock on his door, causing him to sit up straight. Thankfully it was none other than Miss Addy who came into the room.

"Hey Cloud, how are you doing?"

"I'm okay…" Cloud whispered. "But… but what happened to the wolf puppy?"

Addy started the frown. She shook her head before sitting on the bed. Gently she placed her hands over his. "I don't think we should talk about it."

"Okay…" Cloud said before frowning. "Is Hojo still angry at me?"

Adelaide sighed. "He is only a slight bit frustrated. Cloud… I know what you had to do today was hard, but when Hojo tells you to do something you need to do it."

"Even if it feels wrong?"

"I'm afraid so," Adelaide replied quietly. "Hojo will only make things harder for you in these next years."

"But why?" Cloud asked. He knew it was better not to ask questions, but he could no longer hold them in anymore. "Why does he want me to burn things? Why can I do that now? What is materia? And… and why is my hair changing?"

Adelaide looked at Cloud, not surprised by his onslaught of questions. Instead she only looked at him with pity and sympathy. "I'm sorry but I don't think I can really answer those questions right now. I promise one day you'll understand. All I can say is this…" she wrapped her arms around Cloud and pulled him close. "You are going to make big changes to the world. You'll be someone strong and great."

Cloud wasn't too sure why she was telling him this. He didn't understand why she would, but… he liked it when she said it. The idea of being great sounded really nice to him. The idea of being strong felt right to him. He wanted to try and be what Miss Addy was telling him, and he felt more determined to try and be better.

* * *

Time had gone by and Cloud tried his best to not make Hojo mad anymore. Thankfully there were no more wolf puppies that Hojo made him burn, instead it became small little creatures like rats or other small things. It still was hard at first to Cloud to do such a thing, but within the passing months it became an expected pattern for him.

Not only did it become easier, but things started to change even more for Cloud. Aside from his hair that continued to grow more and more white by each day, Cloud began to notice that his eyes had a much brighter glow to them. He already knew that they could change to the color of green when he used his fire, but when he wasn't using it his eyes were now a bright blue.

But there was still much that scared him about it all. Despite growing use to the fire ability he now had and doing as Hojo instructed, there were many nights where he couldn't handle it. He never let Hojo see that he was stressed though, he knew that would only lead to Hojo getting mad again. Because of that he would hold it in until he could get back to his room, there he could cry the rest of the night with no one even knowing, not even Miss Addy.

He knew he had to try and stay strong when in front of everyone else. He did his best to do that and kept the sadness for those nights alone. But he knew right now he needed to not focus on that. He was in the lab, standing in front of the table while Hojo wrote something down on a piece of paper. Cloud wasn't entirely too sure what it was all about.

Since he had gotten the fire materia placed within him, he had not had any more tests with him sitting on the table while the others looked over him. He had mainly been focusing on the training that Hojo had been giving him. He felt like asking, but as he always knew, he wasn't supposed to ask questions.

Finally Hojo looked up and walked over to Cloud. "049, do you know why you are here today rather than practicing with your magic?"

"No sir," Cloud answered as calmly as he could.

"Do you know how long it has been since we implanted the fire matiera?" Hojo asked.

Cloud nodded. He had been learning to keep track of the days and by now he knew all of the months and how many days were in each. "It's been about a year. Earlier than it was last year though as my birthday only passed two weeks ago."

"Good. Now that you are a year older again I have come to figure it would be a good time to give you your next materia. You have practically mastered fire at this point and your body has adapted well to it."

Cloud nodded again. He knew that was a very true fact. He no longer had to wear the white outfit to protect his body. He didn't quite understand it, but Miss Addy and the others said it was because his body was growing to adapt to the materia so he would not harm himself.

But what he had not expected was to hear about another materia. He did at least understand what it was this time. Within the year, Miss Addy had been teaching him quite a lot. At first it had been so much for him to take in, but he studied every day and worked hard on what she told him. He had learned about the many kinds of materia that were created by the company, Shinra, that Miss Addy, Hojo, and all the others worked for.

"All right," Cloud replied. He wanted to ask what materia it would be, but he didn't think he could even ask that. Either he thought that Hojo would tell him before the procedure would start.

Hojo narrowed his eyes slightly, looking over his papers. "049, do you have any idea what materia will be next?"

Cloud hummed softly. Slowly he shook his head. "No sir."

"It will be the ice materia. Now can you comprehend why we would be doing that?" Hojo asked, waiting to see how Cloud would respond.

Cloud thought carefully over his answer, knowing if he got it wrong Hojo would scold him for not knowing. He thought as deeply as he could before giving the answer he hoped was right. "Because ice is the opposite of fire, right?"

"Yes, that is correct. We want to see how your body will react to complete opposites and the younger you are the more time you have to adjust to it," Hojo replied.

"Oh, okay then," Cloud replied simply without much fuss.

Hojo smirked. "It seems you understand better now. Good. Now get on the table 049 and we can begin."

Cloud hesitated for a moment. He didn't want to get back on the table, but he knew he had to. Slowly he climbed up and laid down. The other scientists came around and applied the stuff that made him sleepy. His eyes slowly began to feel heavy seconds later and he breathed out before falling asleep.

* * *

Slowly Cloud started to regain consciousness. However, as his eyes begin to flutter open, he felt something different. His whole body began to shiver, and he wrapped his arms around his body as they were fortunately not strapped down this time.

"It's… cold…" he muttered out slowly.

At first thought, he thought maybe the temperature in the room had dropped. He glanced around to see that the other people standing in the room did not seem like they were cold at all. After that, he quickly deduced that it must have meant the ice materia was implanted and already beginning to take effect.

He had remembered experiencing such cold before during the winters in Nibelheim. However, having gotten used to the body temperature change that accompanied having the fire materia, he wasn't quite able to withstand extreme cold anymore.

He just wanted to warm up. That was all.

" _Maybe I can use the fire to warm me up."_

Cloud tried to focus and summon the magic from the fire to hear his body. But what happened was just the opposite. His body began to get even colder. He shivered even more. " _But… why?"_ he thought quickly.

His teeth clattered against one another while he began to wrap his arms around himself even tighter than before. Slowly he turned to the side to see Hojo standing there like he always was, taking notes on his clipboard.

"I… I'm really cold…"

"Yes, yes, I can see that. As you should be," he said quickly. "Now, let me guess, you tried to use the fire materia and it didn't work and you got colder?"

"Um… yes, sir…" Cloud muttered through chattering teeth.

"Yes, I had a theory that is what would happen. Seems I was right as usual. You will have to grow accustomed to using multiple materia. Your body is not used to it yet."

"H-How do I do that?"

Hojo scoffed. "Seeing as how none of us use materia like that, it is something that you will have to figure out. After all, that is why you are an experiment. Do you know why you are labeled "049"?

Cloud was slightly surprised by the question. "I-I don't k-know…" he replied through shivers.

"It is because 48 others have been through tests as well. You are the first to be a materia experiment in this manner. The others were necessary to get to this point… but disposable," he stated unemotionally.

Hojo wasn't quite done though. "You, however, are an interesting specimen. Therefore, I will be running daily tests to analyze the development of the two materia inside of you now. Do you understand?"

Cloud wanted to take the time to understand what he had heard, but he knew if he dawdled on his thoughts too long that Hojo would become upset.

"Yes… I u-understand."

Hojo heard his response, but did not reply. He turned and walked away out of the lab. On his way out, he motioned to one of the other assistants in the room.

"And give the boy something to cover up with. It would be a shame if he froze to death before I had the chance to run more tests."

The assistant did as instructed and took a large blanket from one of the drawers in the room and threw it to Cloud. It landed close enough to where he could grab it and pull it up onto his body. He snuggled under it quickly, trying to ease the chill across his entire body.

With Hojo gone from the room, Cloud looked around but he didn't see what he was looking for. He figured it might be okay to ask one of the others a question though, since they didn't seem to ever be annoyed usually.

"Um… where's Miss Addy?" He asked quietly, but luckily it was just loud enough to where one of the men that was walking close by heard him.

"Oh her? She's not here today. Away on other business according to the Professor," he answered swiftly.

"Oh… I see… well can I at l-least go to my r-room?"

"Sorry, but no can do right now. Professor Hojo wants you to stay here just like before and monitor you."

Cloud was saddened by hearing that. But at this point, an answer like that was not entirely unexpected.

"When… can I-I go b-back?"

The man inched closer to Cloud and stared down at him. "That will entirely depend on you and how fast you can control this new materia."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we go with a new materia for Cloud! I wonder what will be next! Take a guess if you would like!  
> Anyways thank you all as always for checking out the story we got going on here!


	10. Snow Day

Winter had finally approached for the town as snow fell all around the manor. From the windows that were not enclosed, whiteness could be seen lining the grounds outside. It's the first time it had snowed in a few years, which was surprising considering that Nibelheim was surrounded by tall mountains. At least, it felt like it had been a few years. Or, had it only been a few months since the last time it snowed? Time was still something hard to keep up with for the small boy. Either way, it was something that cloud had not experienced in a long time, ever since being locked up inside of whatever this place was.

And it seemed as though he would not get to experience it still.

Cloud looked longingly out of the window in his room, which is something that he usually didn't do. "Boy I wish I could go out… I wanna play…"

Professor Hojo had denied him access outside out of fear the boy might try to escape. Cloud promised he wouldn't but Hojo would not hear it.

" _You're my subject and you don't need such distractions. You'll be SOLDIER one day, and SOLDIERs need not focus on such pointless drivel."_

At least that's what he had said to Cloud many days ago, and would repeat something similar every time he asked. Despite his progress and learning how to control the materia these past 3 months, Cloud still apparently had not proven himself enough.

"What more do I have to do Mr. Chocobo?" he asked his stuffed toy.

After a few seconds, he answered again. "Well, I hate being stuck in here. You're fun and all, but I wanna go out too."

He waited for another response, but his brain could think of nothing to stimulate himself at the moment. He crashed down onto his bed with a heavy sigh. He had hoped that by following orders and doing what he was told, he would one day be able to get out of there. But the more time passed, the more Cloud started to succumb to the doubts that encapsulated him.

_Will I ever get out of here?"_

_Will I ever see my home again?_

_Will I ever be good enough?_

Soon there was a knock on the door, but Cloud did not answer. Based on the amount of time that has passed since the last time he had done work, he assumed that's what it was for. And he could care less if he went or not. But a familiar voice came from the other side.

"Hey it's me, can I come in?"

"Oh, um, yeah you can Miss Addy."

Once she opened the door and Cloud saw her, his fears repressed themselves. There was just something about her that made Cloud forget about his fears and worries. She was always able to calm him, and he had become very close with her through everything. She was the only person there that cared about him, and she was also the only person there that he cared about.

"And how are you doing today?" Miss Addy asked as she made her way over to Cloud.

"I'm okay… but it's snowing outside…" Cloud replied as he turned his head to look back out at the snow covered ground.

"Oh, yes it is. Pretty isn't it?"

"Hmm yeah. But I wanna play in it. Can I go outside and play?" Cloud asked, hoping that Miss Addy would let him go outside compared to Hojo.

Pressing her lips together Miss Addy sighed. "I don't think that is possible. Professor Hojo would want you to stay here where we can monitor your training more closely."

"But it's snowing!" Cloud pouted. "I wanna play in the snow! I haven't played in snow since being brought here. Why can't I play in the snow?"

Miss Addy sighed once more. She knelt down to Cloud's eye level and placed a hand on top of his head. "I can't go against what Professor Hojo says. If he doesn't want you going outside then that is what he says. If it were my choice Iw ould let you go outside and play in the snow everyday."

Cloud smiled at her words. Just like always, she always was caring for him and saying things that made him feel happy. "Thank you Miss Addy."

"You're welcome Cloud. And you know what? Just cause you can't go outside doesn't mean you can't play in the snow."

Cloud titled his head to the side. "Huh? But how? The snow is outside, it can't be inside."

"It can be, if you want it. Remember your new materia?"

"Oh!" Cloud exclaimed. It had only been a few months since he was given the ice materia and he was still getting used to trying to use it over the fire. But now what Miss Addy was saying started to make much more sense. "I can make it snow inside!"

"That is a possibility yes."

Cloud's excitement faded slightly after he started thinking about something. "But, wait. Wouldn't Hojo be mad at me if I made it cold inside?"

Addy stared at him matter-of-factly. "Well, I did tell him that you wanted to 'practice', so let's just leave it at that then, okay? I'll take care of it," she finished with a slight grin.

"Ooh okay! Let's do that then! I wanna make lots of snow so I can play it in!" Cloud exclaimed happily.

"All right then, let's go out to the main hall so we can have some more room okay?"

"Right!"

Cloud took hold of Miss Addy's hand and they headed out of the room. They walked for a bit until they made it to the long and wide main hallway of the mansion. When they got there Miss Addy let go of Cloud and stepped to the side.

"Okay Cloud, show me what you have been practicing."

Cloud nodded before stretching his hands out. He closed his eyes and started to think deeply. He could sense the two opposite powers flowing through his body. Fire and ice. With all the training he had gone through over the past months he had learned to be able to focus on them, being able to keep them apart when reaching for one of them.

Zoning in on the coldness that came from the ice matera, chills ran through his body, but he didn't actually _feel_ cold. It was actually a soothing sensation to him now, just like the warmth that the fire brought to him.

Breathing out, he let the ice start to form around his hands. Little ice pieces formed into larger ones and then he flicked his wrists, sending the ice to the floor. Right away the ice spread over the floor and soon where he stood was encased in ice. Cloud giggled to himself as he gently moved himself to slide over the ice as if he were skating on it.

"That looks good, Cloud. Is there anything else you can think to do?"

"Hmm I don't know."

"Well, what about making ice from the ceiling? Like we are in some magical ice cave."

"Ooh! I like that. I can do that." Cloud raised his hands up and created ice to shoot up and hit the ceiling. Right away icicles formed and stretched down, creating a very pretty look. After a moment Cloud started to think about other things he could do. He knew the ice materia was mainly for that… ice… but from what he had been told, he could do more than just ice with it.

He concentrated deeply and he started to make flurries form around his hand. With a bit more focus, the flurries grew and swirled all around him. He let the flurries increase until they were floating gently all around the hallway.

"Look Miss Addy! I made it snow!" Cloud shouted cheerfully.

"You did. Very good. Now it looks like you could have some fun, right?"

"Yeah! And you can play with me too, right?"

"Of course, I would be happy to."

The two of them started to play in the snow and ice quite a bit, with Cloud trying to make sure to maintain the ice as well as he could. He made some makeshift ice skates for himself and even for Addy as she glided around on the ice with ease. Cloud however, was not so fortunate. He could not figure out how to stay upright while on the ice in the makeshift skates. But Adelaide helped him to learn the proper way to keep his balance before they got to the movements part. After many minutes, Cloud had no idea how much time had actually passed, he was finally able to move successfully on the ice.

Everything seemed to happen so quickly, but maybe that was because he was having fun. For the first time in a while, he was enjoying himself more than he had in recent memory. He was even more happy that Ms. Addy was spending her time with him as well, and it seemed she was having a good time as well, at least from Cloud's point of view. The more they played, he saw her smile more frequently, which made him feel warm inside despite the coldness surrounding them. Time seemed to slip away from him in the moment.

* * *

Soon, Addy decided to stop and check her watch. When she did, she was surprised that two hours had already passed.

" _Wow, we've been at it for a while now, and I'm beat. But Cloud never seems to give out of energy at least. It's kind of fun to watch,"_ she internally thought to herself.

She knew that they would have to stop though shortly. Even though Hojo had told them that there would be no training for today as he was away in headquarters, she still knew they would have to clean things up before he got back. She didn't want to think about what would happen if he found things as they were.

"Cloud, let's stop for now okay? We will have to get things cleaned up."

"Awww, really? But I wanted to keep playing."

"I know that, but you've been going for a while now. Stop and take a break. Besides, you don't want Hojo to see the place like this, and neither do I."

He sighed loudly and exhaled. "Okay…"

Addy went to stand off to the side as Cloud was preparing to try and get rid of what he had created. Cloud stood at the ready, but before he could get started, there was a sudden sound heard at the door. Both their hearts skipped a beat.

When it opened, they saw the man that was supposed to have been gone for longer than they thought, yet there he was standing in the doorway. They didn't have to wait long for his opinion for he quickly shouted without much warning.

"What is the meaning of all this?!"

Cloud flinched, his composure tightening at the strictness of the tone. Cloud couldn't even find anything to respond with. He had no idea what he was even supposed to say. He pressed his lips together and lowered his head while he waited to hear what Hojo would tell him next.

But much to his surprise, Addy was the one who spoke next. "I'm sorry professor, we may have gotten a bit carried away with some training."

"You call this training?! Casting snow and ice indoors to nearly freeze the place? Completely the opposite from what I call training."

"I'm sorry sir, we may have gotten a bit carried away with his capabilities," Miss Addy replied, choosing her words as carefully as she could.

"I would say. What made you think this was a good idea?"

"Well, I did tell you before that 049 wanted to exercise his abilities in a wider area. And you said that he could not go outside to do it. I suggested to him that he had the power to bring the outside in."

Professor Hojo wanted to say something but he stopped. Quickly he moved in closer to Adelaide, enough to where it was just between he and her.

"While I was not expecting this and I am not the happiest, I have to say that the outcome of this exceeded what I thought he could do in the moment. I applaud you for thinking to have him do this, but do _not_ do it again," he spoke in a hushed voice.

"Yes, sir," Adelaide replied quietly.

Once Professor Hojo backed away from her, he coughed slightly before speaking up.

"Now, 049! Remove the ice and snow from this hallway!"

"Y-Yes sir," Cloud whispered before going to finish removing the ice and snow as best as he could.

"And when you're done with that, just go outside for crying out loud. At least you won't mess up the inside doing that. Since you're doing training, I'll allow it. I expect greatness, 049, nothing less."

Cloud's eyes lit up with what he had just heard, but he tried to hide it as soon as he realized it. He turned to the Professor to speak. "Yes, sir!" he said emphatically, before Hojo walked off towards the basement area and out of site.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Riku here (cause I forgot easily that with Ao3 you don't know who is saying things in the ANs cause it is a shared Co-Author stuff) and we hoped you enjoyed the new chapter! Did you get what it was a reference to? Lol.  
> Also as you see now we have added chapter titles to the chapters to make it more interesting.


	11. Outside

Cloud stood at the front doors of the mansion, looking outside to see the snow continuing to fall onto the already white ground. He could feel the cold air rushing over to greet him, but he did not move from his spot in the doorway. There were far too many thoughts racing in his mind to actually move forward.

How long had it actually been since he had stepped outside? The last time he remembered being outside… it was… was when Professor Hojo first found him. That was already a long time ago in his mind.

Two years.

It had been two years ago when he was five and ran off, only to be found my Hojo. It was almost strange to think about it. So much time had gone by, but it also felt like hardly any time at all. But it had truly been that long since he had last stepped outside and felt the fresh air or felt the breeze on his face.

He nearly couldn't wait as Ms. Addy opened the doors up and Cloud bolted outside. The first thing he noticed was how cold it was outside. At least, it felt cold, but he was unaffected by it. And even though he would be fine with it, Miss Addy had still made him wear some form of winter clothes to shield his body more.

" _Even though you're used to the cold_ , _it is still a precaution to prevent illness."_ That's what she had told him.

Cloud closed his eyes and basked in the chilled, natural air. As the snow fell down upon his small frame, and the wind blew against his slightly covered body, his smile grew wider.

"This feels really nice! The outside!"

"That's good Cloud, now show me what you can do now that you're outside," Miss Addy replied. "We still can practice your skills and now that we are outside we have more free range."

"But do I have to practice? Why can't I just play?"

"Because that is what you have been told to do, and even though I would not mind if you did the latter, I am not sure the professor would like it too much."

"Yeah, I guess you're right…" he trailed off shortly, but soon enough he perked up again. "But at least I'm finally outside!"

He began to let his powers flow freely, allowing the cold to rush through his entire being before controlling it into his hands to unleash the magic. Ice flew from his small hands and spread throughout a wide area in front of Cloud, covering the already white ground in a thicker layer of ice. He almost decided to stop, but he wanted to see how far he could go. He continued to draw on his power until a larger section of the ground was completely frozen solid.

"Wow, look what I did!"

"That's good to see. I think that your powers are growing. That's a lot of progress over the last few months. Now, it's up to you what you want to do then."

"Hmm, let's see…" Cloud trailed off in thought.

With the field of ice that he had created, Cloud tried his best to keep himself still and grounded. As much as he wanted to try the skates again, he knew what Miss Addy had told him. He needed to work more on his balance in general. Ice skating and fighting did not bode well together anyway.

Breathing in deeply he thought over what he had to do. Even if he wasn't supposed to be playing and having fun, Miss Addy said to just try and think of that to make it easier.

Raising his hand he formed the ice and snow into little lumps of snowmen. He got a little creative with it, giving them each different angry faces that he could imagine. Once they were set up around the mini ice rink, he began his little game plan.

Sliding around on the ice, he passed by one of the snowmen and cast a quick fire spell at it. The spell collided and struck it deadcenter. After that he tried to keep his balance, but the ice was a little more slippery than what he had anticipated. Not able to hold himself upright anymore, he flopped down onto the ice, groaning slightly once he made contact with the ground.

Cloud breathed out while groaning. His leg did feel a bit sore, but soon enough the pain went away and he stood back up on his feet as carefully as he could. He didn't waste time standing and went right back to striking the other snowmen around him. For some of them, he tried to use the fire materia like he had been, but for the rest he changed up to using the ice materia. Instead of melting the snowmen, he encased them in ice instead. From there he wasn't exactly sure what he was supposed to do to 'defeat' them.

He stopped for a moment, thinking over how much he had learned with his powers. He could freeze things with his magic and most cases that was all that was needed. But he just froze snowmen… who already were made of snow. Cloud wasn't too sure, but he felt like it was kind of silly in the end to do that to the snowmen, so after that he burst another blast of fire in the end.

Beneath him, the snow and ice melted away, cracking his slippery floor into several pieces. It was not long before the cracks started to grow larger by the passing minute. Cloud quickly fixed the broken ice and continued to play, while also still making sure to practice like he needed to.

After that, he decided to get more elaborate with some snow creations. He winded the snow around his little hands and started to make it take shape in a compact form. But it was larger than the snowmen before, and branched up into several appendages. Once it was done, it had two legs and two arms, each of which were turned in an opposite manner. The body was slightly cylindrical and the face was simply two large eyes and a large gaping mouth.

"What is that?" Addy asked simply. "It looks familiar but I can't place it."

"It's a cactuar! Like one of my toys," Cloud replied with a bubbly smile.

"I see, well that's good that you were able to make that then," she responded.

She was amazed at how well his control over the ice materia had gotten, as well as the fire as well. He adapted quite quickly, and even though he was playing, it was also helping to practice his abilities some. She could only imagine what the boy could be capable of later on when he learned more magic. As of now though, she stood in awe of his prowess. She decided to let him continue doing what he was doing, as it seemed he was not tiring any time soon.

* * *

When Addy and Cloud walked back inside, they were greeted with one of the other members of the lab there.

"The professor wants to see you in the lab."

Adelaide was curious as to what it was about, but she followed along as she knew that she would have to go anyways if Hojo demanded it. Cloud followed shortly behind her, making sure to try to keep up with their long strides as they walked the normal path down.

When they were finally at the lab, Hojo turned to face the opening doors. "049, go back up to your room, as I did not call for you. Make yourself useful and clean up until you're called for. And if you get done, go find something else to clean."

"But-"

"Do not talk back to me. Subjects have no need for such a thing. You do as you're told. Now!"

Cloud was unsure of what was really going on in that moment, and Hojo seemed more irritated than usual. Within all the uncertainty, he looked to Addy for some sort of acknowledgement. She nodded to him, signaling him to do as he was told. The boy scurried from the lab and the doors closed sharply behind him.

"Now, Adelaide. Come here," Hojo said as he directed her towards the security system behind a closed door that she usually never got to see. There she saw a wall of screens, each looking into a different area of the mansion, with some even for the outside. "You see here what you two were doing out there?"

"Well, we were training. Or rather, he was. At his leisure of course as you had told us to go ou-"

"Yes yes, I told you what to do. I wanted to examine the 'training' that 049 was going to be doing. To see if his being outside would be worth it or not. It seems that the subject has made some considerable strides beyond what I was anticipating."

"Well, that's a good thing then. Adelaide responded in kind.

"But! I did not say that he could play and build snow structures of… whatever that is," he said as he pointed to a large concoction of a creature on one of the screens.

"Cactuar, sir."

"Whatever, it does not matter. The point!" Hojo scoffed as he paused for a moment.

"I've tolerated this monkey business for too long! 049 showed results and I allowed him some freedom. But that time has passed now. I see he's shown more promise, so now he needs to learn more than before."

"Understood professor, but what was wrong with the freedom? His playing is moreso part of his training I would think."

"Well, I think _you_ should maybe answer that, woman. You are the one who insisted on it, saying that it would help him. While that might be partly true, I cannot and will not afford any more playing around. You've become close with the subject. Maybe too close."

"I'm only doing what you instructed me to do. Being close with him was part of it. Cl- 049, he is still just a child-"

"See?! That's exactly what I am talking about," Hojo spat. "You're supposed to be a scientist, concerned with experiments. Yet you still call him by his name, even though he has yet to earn that right."

Adelaide tried to speak, tried to open her mouth. But Hojo quickly spoke over her again.

"Just like 049, you too are a tool to be able to prove my experiments and conduct my tests. Do _not_ disappoint me again. Or do I need to make an example out of you?"

The threat was evident in the tone of his voice. He was serious, and Adelaide had no idea what brought about the sudden turn. Though, knowing how Hojo was, she should have expected it. She knew it was pointless to resist, and she needed this job still more than anything.

However, Cloud… she didn't want to abandon him completely. But she would do what she had to do.

"I understand, professor. I will do my job," she said with exasperation.

"Oh will you now? See that you do. Else, you know what happens when I have no further need for my subjects," Hojo coldy stated.

"Yes, I can probably imagine..."

"Good good. Now after the next implant, he will be moved to HQ in Midgar after I am done with another project there. There, more tests and proper research can be done on the test subject. But for now, it's still my secret project as you well know."

"Why the sudden move, sir?"

"Why? Why? Because I damn well feel like it that's why! I don't owe anyone an explanation. Least of all a lesser being such as yourself or that child, if you still call him that."

Despite her knowing how he was, Adelaide desperately struggled to resist the urge to sock him in the face. But he's always been like that, but for some reason, it angered her more now than it used to. However, she maintained her composure and stood with no response, only nodding in agreement.

"Now before I lose any more brain cells talking to you, do whatever you do to teach 049. I don't care what it is, but no foolish games. He is meant to be a SOLDIER, a weapon for me to use how I see fit. Not some play thing for a third rate scientist-playing-foster-parent."

"He's already a quick learner, _professor_ ," she stated quickly, gritting her teeth as she spoke.

"I am well aware. Otherwise, he wouldn't have come this far now would he?" Hojo persisted. He sighed. "Leave. Go. Leave me to my work now."

Adelaide quickly left the lab at the first notion she had to be able to do so. Once outside the doors, many emotions raged throughout her mind. She couldn't believe that she had just been embarrassed in front of everyone. She knew she was partially to blame herself, but it still made it none the easier.

She took a deep breath, and then exhaled right after. " _I suppose I should go find him and do as the professor instructed. Guess I'll have to watch things more closely, for the both of us."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Riku here as usually with these AN. We are just on a roll with this story, aren't we? A fun little chapter here trying to show off some of Cloud's power in a fun way, but we hoped you enjoyed!


	12. Plans

Days had passed and it was night, but not everyone slept. Though Cloud was fast asleep in his bed, Hojo and the other scientists were awake. They sat down in the basement in a small circle while Hojo filled through several pages of notes.

After a moment he looked up and cleared this throat. "All right. It has been a few years now since we started this little experiment of mine. I have taken a lot of time and dedication for this and after quite a lot of thinking, I have finalized the materia list for 049 over the decade. I want you to all look it over and keep in mind what our goals are for these next several years."

Hojo handed out a sheet of paper to each member that sat in the circle. Each of them read over the sheet which contained the list of materia that would be implemented over the next several years.

"Now you will see that I do have one year marked for two materia. I felt that since the levels of those two are similar enough that we can put them in at the same time."

"But Professor," Adelaide said, speaking up. "Ah, may I ask as to why you are putting the heal and restore materia off until he is 10? Wouldn't it be helpful to have him learn healing spells sooner?"

Scoffing Hojo narrowed his eyes at her. "I will not give the specimen the ability to heal himself from his injuries until I believe he is completely loyal. As of right now that is far from the case. I hope in two years though he will improve to listen and obey me more."

"If you say so Professor," Adelaide replied. Though honestly she wanted to speak up more, she knew it would only end badly for her. To oppose Hojo's plans or give a differing opinion was basically a death sentence to anyone who tried. The last thing she wanted was to lose her job… to be kicked off the program… she couldn't bear the thought.

But now that she had this list, she could see what Cloud would be in for the future. There was a lot of materia to cover and she knew that it was only to get harder from this point further. Thankfully now that she knew what materia would be next, she could easily prepare Cloud for when the time came for the implant.

"Professor," a different worker said. "I do have my own question. Just on the choices. Do you plan to ever try using summon materia or any of the other fields besides magic?"

"I have considered the thought, but for now I believe sticking to the magic materia is the best option. With summons, there is a whole other side to that which I have to look into. It would be fascinating to see if it can work, but more testing would have to be done firsthand. With the command, support and independent materias, some would not work for 049 based on how we are doing this. But I shall look into each more deeply to see if there are any in fact that we can pull to actually use. For now it is the magic materia only, is that understood?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Good. Now it still is a few months away before the next materia, 049 still has a lot of progress to make. Both in his field experience and also his studies. Adelaide, how is that part coming along?"

"He is already reading two levels above his normal reading levels, three levels for math which he really seems to have a good knack for," Adelaide replied.

"And what about other categories?"

"We have gone into learning about the other materials and the different categories and some history of Shinra and their programs, mainly SOLDIER like you asked me to instruct him about."

"Good, at least he is improving with that. Next I say that you should teach him SOLDIER battle strategies. It will help benefit him in his training here to know how they work over there. I will be sure to get the booklets that you will need for him on my next trip to Midgar."

"Yes, thank you Professor," Adelaide replied as properly as she could, knowing it was all she could really do at the moment. "May I ask though, am I allowed to tell… 049 about this list?"

Hojo narrowed his eyes, her slight pause was easily noted. He adjusted his glasses before he gave his answer. "I suppose he can know about it. That way he can learn to prepare himself for what will come next."

* * *

The following day Adeladie knocked on Cloud's bedroom door. There was no answer so she opened the door to see Cloud still fast asleep on his bed. "Hey, you awake yet?"

She thought to use his name. She so badly wished to use his name naturally, but now she had to be more careful. Deep inside she still wanted to call him Cloud, and sometimes she would slip up on it, but now she had tried her hardest to stick to saying 049. Cloud didn't understand it at first, but she told him right away that it was just something she was told to do. Overall she tried her best to just avoid using any name all together, just to make things easier on herself.

"Mmm…" Cloud stirred and eventually looked up and grinned. "Oh! Good morning Miss Addy!"

"Good morning. How are you feeling today?"

"I'm good!" Cloud sat up quickly and took the plate of food that Miss Addy had brought along with her. Right away he began to eat it. After he swallowed he cleared his throat. "So what are we doing today? Am I training more?"

"No, today is a learning day."

"Ooh, okay! I think I like learning more, it's not as tiring."

"You will grow less tired the more you train. You already know you can go much longer using your magic before you get sleepy, right?" Addy said before sitting down on the bed.

"Uh-huh! And I can do really cool magic moves now! It makes Professor Hojo happy… I think."

Addy nodded. Though it was truly hard to impress Hojo, he had toned down his scolding on Cloud with each passing day of training. Though he never verbally praised Cloud in front of him, the lack of scolding seemed to be enough to tell Cloud he was doing something right.

"All right, now we will have to get started. Today is actually going to be a lesson in history," Addy started.

"Awww, but I don't like history that much…"

"I know. It sounds like a lot of boring things, but there are a lot of really cool things you can learn. Plus it is important to know about the history of Shinra."

Cloud sighed. "Yeah I know… it just doesn't really interest me. The other stuff I can do myself and figure out and it feels nice. But this is different. Why do I have to learn so much about it?"

"Because, we all work for Shinra, and that means you do as well. Don't worry, there isn't that much more to learn about. Then we can learn about other things."

"Like chocobos?"

Addy laughed. "I am sure we will have time to learn about chocobos."

"Yay!"

"But not now though. You have to learn about the history here, and then maybe something fun later on. I have an outline that I must abide by to teach you, as you will need to know about the Planet as well. But all in due time."

"Okay, Miss Addy. You know what's right anyways. You're really smart."

"Thank you Cloud. Now back to our focus for today."

Cloud nodded before he went to get the books that he needed for the current lesson. From there the two of them spent the day learning and reading about Shinra. Well, it was Cloud who was learning, and Addy helped him along when he had any questions.

Eventually enough hours had passed that they had to take another break for food. As they did, Cloud ate his food happily, finally able to have a chance to just relax. "Now what are we doing now?"

"We'll move on to our next subject, which will be more math."

"What?" Cloud said, whining slightly. "More studying? But what about playing and having fun?"

Miss Addy sighed. She knew it would be hard to explain this to Cloud. His wide and pleading eyes only made it harder for her to do so. "I'm really sorry Cloud, but Professor Hojo says that we need to work on studying more. I already told you that today is a learning day."

"I know you said it was a learning day… but it just seems not a lot of fun to just learn all day."

"Did you know I used to have days where I learned all day?" Miss Addy said.

"Huh? Really?"

"Yes, when I was just learning how to be a scientist, I had to do a lot of learning. It took me many years to learn all I needed to know before I got to be here. But I never gave up and I kept on learning. That's how I got to be so smart," Miss Addy replied before ruffling Cloud's hair slightly.

"So if I study hard, I can be smart like you?"

Addy chuckled. "Exactly."

"Oh, okay. I'll try to do good then," Cloud replied back as he began to listen to Ms. Addy's teachings again. He only hoped it passed by quickly.

* * *

The days passed by seemingly slowly at first. Cloud was tasked with more studying than he had been before, though the training regiments were still basically the same. The only thing that was different is that there was not as much time to play, unless he was by himself in his downtime. It was something he was having trouble getting adjusted to.

But those days soon turned into week, with almost the same pattern taking place each day. Time seemed to speed up in return, turning into two weeks, then three, then four, until another month had passed by already.

"So do we get to play today?"

"I'm afraid not. The professor might be gone for right now, but if we don't get all of this done, he'll be mad at the both of us again. I would prefer to not have that," Addy replied almost instantly.

"Yeah, I get it. It's just boring sometimes. Some of it's interesting…"

Cloud seemed to lose himself in his thoughts for a little bit. "Why am I learning about all these different places if I'm only stuck in here though? That don't make sense."

"Well, you're not going to always be in here. You'll leave one day, okay?"

"But when?! I wanna get back to town so that I can show my mom how grown up I am now," he said with a hint of laughter. "Wanna show her how strong I've gotten!"

His comment froze Adelaide in place.

Despite everything that had happened, that was one thing she had forgotten. He had been ripped from his mother. The only person he had at the time, and it was taken from him. When she thought about it, it made her feel with dread, for him and his mother who probably didn't know where he was. Her mind drifted to some thoughts of the past suddenly as she stood there.

"...Addy…"

"Miss Addy."

"Are you there?"

She finally snapped back to the present. "Huh? What is it son? I, uh, I mean 049."

"What… what did you say?"

Quickly her hand covered her mouth to hide her shock. She slipped up again, but more so than usual. After a quick breath she dropped her hand. "It was nothing. I was just… thinking of some things. Why don't we get back to the task at hand."

"But, we weren't doing anything but talking. I said something about my mom, remember?"

"Oh yeah, yeah I remember," she said with a shorter breath than before.

She looked at Cloud again, who suddenly started smiling out of nowhere. It made her curious.

"Is there something you wanted to say?" she asked him.

"Well… yeah, I had been wanting to tell you something. I do wanna see my mom. But, while I've been here, you've kinda been like my other mom!"

Addy couldn't help but smile. Despite knowing that she wasn't to get attached, there was always something that drew her back to wanting to love Cloud. He was such a young and sweet boy… but she had the feeling the longer that this went on, that wouldn't be able to last. Hojo wanted a perfect SOLDIER. A perfect SOLDIER in his mind wouldn't show love or be all happy and childish. But for the time they had now, Addy would take all the adorable little Cloud moments that she could.

“Thank you,” Addy said as she ruffled Cloud’s hair. While she did so, she tried to think of what she could say to Cloud to sway him away from thoughts about his mother. She honestly had no idea why it suddenly came to his mind either. She hated lying to his sweet little face, but she couldn’t let him think about that anymore. 

"How about we get to your learning for today? We still have a lot to do so you can get even smarter."

Cloud grinned. "And then my mom will be even more proud!"

Addy pressed her lips together. It seemed there would be no way to get his mind off of that subject. All she could do is hope that it would pass. "Yes. That's right, so let's get to it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are again with a new chapter. More development going on and progression as we do. Hojo has his plans all set though and we cannot wait to show what we have in store for them :)


	13. The Third Materia

Another year had been completed just like all the rest, but still nothing had changed. Cloud still trained and studied nearly every day and his time spent playing was still shortened with each passing week. Cloud constantly felt disheartened over the matter, but whenever he was granted the free time to play or goof off, he made sure to make it count.

But now it was just past his birthday and if it was like the previous two years, he had a feeling there was going to be a new materia. Though, he had no idea which one it could be unfortunately. That side of all this was never discussed with him, and even if he tried asking Miss Addy, she wouldn't tell him. He couldn't understand why at first, but after thinking it over some, he figured that she might get in trouble if she did say anything.

Currently he sat in his room with his feet handing over the edge of the bed. Swaying them back and forth he tried to keep his focus on something else. He did not want to just sit and wait, he wanted to do something in the free time he had, but he just wasn't sure what to do.

Eventually he flopped onto his back and started up at the ceiling. He let out a short exhale before turning his head to the side. "What do you think, Mr. Chocobo? You got any ideas?"

"I mean I wanna play more stories, but I don't wanna get interrupted if I gotta go down if they need me," Cloud replied to his plush friend. "Maybe I could read a book."

Cloud started to pace around his room until he finally steered himself over to the bookshelf near the window. While there he chose to stare out the window, out into the outside world.

Though he was able to go out often to practice his magic, he was never allowed to leave the manor property. He knew they said it was because he still had a lot to learn about the world, but it still left him to wonder what it was like. But he had to remind himself that one day he would be going out there.

He had not been told a whole lot, but he knew that he would be leaving this manor one day and heading to Midgar. He was to be a SOLDIER like Hojo had reminded him many times before. It was an exciting thought to have… it would be another way he could prove himself and show off the skills he had been developing.

"I guess reading won't happen. Thinking too much now…" he stared off out the window some more.

As he did, a thought did come to him. But just as suddenly as that did, the door to his room opened as well. "Cloud?"

It was Miss Addy's voice. If she was there, then he knew what it must mean. "It's time for me to go down there isn't it?"

"Not quite yet. There's still a couple of hours, but I wanted to stop by anyways. Is… there something wrong?"

She could sense there was a hint of distance in his voice from his response just a moment ago. It was just another sign that he was probably growing up, or maybe he was harboring some resentment for everything there. She wasn't sure which it was though.

However, she had been noticing some changes ever since he was not allowed to play as much as he used to. It's what she was afraid would happen, and this type of behavioral change was exactly what Hojo most likely wished for. She didn't like that, not at all.

Cloud exhaled deeply with a sigh. "It's not really anything… just thinking about things again."

"You mean about going beyond here right? Like we talked about before."

"Yeah, I'm so tired of this place ya know," he spoke louder with more emotion. "But… I kinda do wanna get stronger. To impress others too."

"Oh? Like who?"

"Well when I do get out, I'm gonna go see my mom and show her all this. Like I said a while before. But also, there was this girl I was friends with in my town. Well, we barely knew each other, but she was the only one that ever talked to me since we lived beside each other. I… can't remember her name though. But I'll see her too!"

Addy bit her lip. She wanted to encourage the boy to pursue his dreams. But if Hojo's plans were to be realized, she knew that Cloud would never have any opportunities like that. But she couldn't bear to tell him the truth. The thought of destroying any hope that he had was too much.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good plan. Seems you really have done a bunch of thinking. With your persistence, I'm sure you'll see it through," she feigned a smile toward him.

She hated having to lie to him.

"Really? You think so? I like that cause I wanna keep trying!"

Addy kept on smiling, not letting on that anything was bothering her. "That's great to hear. Now how about we find something to do in the meantime?"

* * *

Cloud sat waiting quietly as he always did. It was finally time but it seemed that there were still a few things Hojo wanted to gather before they started. Eventually the older man came over to Cloud and stared down at him with his usual unreadable expression. Cloud really wished he could tell what Hojo was thinking… Was he impressed with how he was doing? Or was he mad? Or was he just thinking about all those other sciency things that he was always talking about all those other times?

Cloud really had no idea, but he just knew he had to wait and listen. If he didn't upset Hojo and did exactly as he did then at least there would be no need for Hojo to grow mad at him again. Then the man finally spoke up. "049, you know what today is of course, correct?"

"It's time for the next materia," Cloud answered solemnly.

"Good. Now today's will be different than before. Take a look at this," Hojo said before holding out a green materia.

To a normal person they would think it was just a green materia, but Cloud knew better than that. He had been studying the different materia types and all the different kinds. Green ones were the magic ones, but you had to look really carefully at them to see exactly what type of magic it was. Whether it was fire or something else all depended on the little image that was swirling around within the green materia magic.

Cloud looked closer at it and analyzed what he was seeing. He had thought it was going to be a regular elemental one, but this was different. He could see the image of a small white sphere in the center. It was clear and it almost looked like it shined from the light.

"049, can you tell me what this materia is?" Hojo asked.

Cloud quickly nodded. "It's a barrier materia. Used for creating a magic defense around yourself from enemies. It doesn't last forever though but can give time to protect yourself."

Hojo actually gave the smallest smile. He was proud of that answer and it made Cloud feel better that he impressed Hojo. "That is correct. You have been doing your studies. Now we can begin and get to the implant."

"Okay," Cloud answered softly before laying back on the table, waiting for the moment when they would put him to sleep so he wouldn't feel any of the pain during the surgery.

* * *

When Cloud started to regain consciousness, he first started thinking on what the new materia would feel like. The fire had made him feel warm inside and the ice of course did the exact opposite. But this wasn't an element, this was barrier, a defensive magic type.

What kind of feeling would a barrier bring? It really left Cloud wondering and right away he was searching for the magic that was now within him. Soon enough he could just about sense it, but he had no idea how to explain what he was feeling. He just knew that whatever the feeling was… it was barrier.

Though with feeling that, he wondered how it would work. He had the assumption it would be just like the rest, with it just coming from him when he cast it. But he had never actually seen the magic in action, only reading it and seeing pictures in books. It actually excited him that he was getting this new materia to test out. A new experience and new ways to show off his skills and impress everyone.

"You're awake, good," Hojo stated. "How are you feeling, 049?"

"Good," Cloud answered. "I can tell the materia is there. But I should wait to use it, right?"

"Hmm, you feel confident already that you could use it right from the start?" Hojo questioned.

"I mean… maybe. Should I try? If it is barrier it wouldn't be causing any damage at least."

"By all means, go ahead. Maybe you can prove to me that you're becoming better, so don't disappoint me," Hojo replied.

Cloud was slightly taken aback but tried to not show it. He had a feeling if he didn't do what he claimed he could, Hojo would punish him in some way again, or at the least yell at him. He didn't like either. So he had to do it.

Cloud focused his mana into his hand and tried to think about the feeling that the barrier was giving him. He didn't want the other magic to come out accidentally. He almost felt himself slip but he continued to focus harder. It took him quite a bit longer than the others before he felt that he was ready to cast it. He held his arm up over his head and released his magic that he had built up.

In a burst, an almost transparent shell formed around his entire body as he felt some overwhelming form of being protected. He wasn't sure how to explain it though.

"Whoa, this is pretty cool."

"Seems that you have gotten better at your control. Progress is what I like to see," Hojo commented as he made some scribbles on his notepad.

In the next few seconds however, the shield faded away slowly. Cloud felt vulnerable again.

"Hmm, but it seems that you can't maintain it for a long time. To be expected I suppose. You'll train yourself as you have before so get on with it however you do things."

"Um, you mean now?"

"What else would I mean, huh? Yes, now. I'm not here to baby you. Figure it out on your own. When you can hold it for a longer period of time of five minutes, then you will be free to go. Not one second less will suffice!"

"Oh, um, okay then," Cloud responded unsurely, starting to do as he was told as everyone looked on at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are with the next chapter and newest materia!!  
> Little Cloud surely has come a long way, but there is so, so much more in store. Just you wait :)


	14. Issues

Cloud laid down on his bed, finally able to get some rest at the end of the day. Miss Addy had brought him back to his room after he was done training. She had to carry him there because he was too weak to even walk up the stairs properly.

It had been two weeks since the Barrier materia had been implanted. Since then, Professor Hojo had been pushing Cloud harder every single day to be able to control it properly. But having three materia inside the body at once was starting to take a toll on his body. And all Addy could do was watch.

"Are you okay, Cloud?"

"I thought you couldn't call me that anymore?"

She sighed. "Just, think of it as a secret between us, okay?"

"Oh, okay then," he responded, but without the usual pep in his voice.

Addy could feel herself aching for the boy, wanting to do something to help him. Over all this time, she could see the changes in him. Though admittedly, some of it started happening a few months before the materia was even started, after his play was continuously shortened. It had only gotten worse after the materia, his demeanor becoming more submissive, and while he still showed signs of happiness, it never lasted long anymore.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked him shortly, after

"Huh? With me? I… guess not…" he trailed off.

"Are you sure? You know you can always talk to me if you are worried about something," Addy said as she sat down on the bed next to him.

"Yeah… there's not supposed to be anything wrong with me anyways," Cloud said quietly. "I'm supposed to be better than this."

It felt like Addy's throat was swelling up. She couldn't seem to get the words to come through. The only thing she found herself able to do was stare wide eyed at Cloud, who looked so sullen. It looked _wrong_ to see him that way. It was such a stark contrast from when he was first brought in, young and bubbly.

But this was how it had been now. His new life of confinement led him to becoming distant, for he didn't have the social interaction that a child his age should have. Besides that, there was something that always troubled her, but she tried to ignore it the best she could.

"Hey, let's get you cleaned up okay? You've got some dirt and dust on your face. I'll help if you want," Miss Addy suggested.

"O-Okay then."

She helped get Cloud up and over to the bathroom, his movements still slow with some grunts from how sore he felt. Once they were at the sink, she turned on the water to let it get warm enough. As the water was running, she heard something else that caught her eye. Some sniffles were coming from the boy. Tears fell from his eyes, blending in with the running water as though the turn of that knob unleashed all his built up emotions.

"What's wrong?" Miss Addy asked concerningly.

With a large sniff, he tried to suck back enough to answer. "I-It's my hair. Haven't paid attention much lately. Didn't realize it-"

He couldn't finish his words though.

He started to wipe away his tears, trying not to look up anymore. Miss Addy tried her best to not let her own emotions gain control of her. She had to be strong in this moment, not showing how much she sympathized for Cloud. But still her heart trembled and hurt with each sob Cloud was trying to suppress.

His hair was much whiter at this point, but there were still plenty of yellow patches in some areas. Overall though it was starting to fade within each passing month. Addy knew that this was no normal occurrence and all had to do with the materia that had been placed inside of him. All the energy that he used to project the magic through his body drained from him in other places. It was what she tried to ignore

It wasn't only the hair that was a major change in his appearance. There was also his eyes that now glowed a brighter blue as if he had mako enhancements like a SOLDIER. Though unlike a SOLDIER, his eyes would glow green anytime he used his magic as it was all tied together. But Addy wasn't too sure if Cloud noticed his eyes as much as he did for his hair. She wasn't about to ask him though, knowing already how he felt just by the color of his hair alone.

She had to think of something though to say. It was not an easy subject and the truth of the matter was probably too hard for him to understand. She knew it was probably best to try and ease him down first before anything else. "Cloud, I think your hair is lovely."

"R-Really? But… it's so weird. I've been trying to ignore it… but it's hard to not notice now…"

"I know, I know. But the white still gives you a nice look. Honestly," Addy said, trying to cheer him up.

"But… it's not the same as Mr. Chocobo now though. I liked it that way before…"

"I'm sure that Mr., umm, Chocobo would understand. Think of it as… it makes you special."

"Really?"

"Yeah, that's what I think at least. Come on, let's try to get started cleaning up then."

"All right… thanks Miss Addy," Cloud said more calmly.

"Besides, did you know that there are other kinds of Mr. Chocobos? All different colors?"

"O-Oh… that's right. I think we read about it before… but not a lot since it wasn't super important."

"That's correct. There are even chocobos out there that have hair as white as yours."

"Okay… that sounds nice," Cloud said, though his tone didn't truly sound all that interested.

He wasn't crying much anymore, and he seemed to have calmed down. He wasn't as distant as he was just a few minutes before, so Addy was relieved for that. But it still worried her. If he was starting to lose himself mentally like that, she couldn't always be there to help bring him back. And she feared that he would not be able to hold up on his own, especially with how young he was.

" _What should I do… this is just not a good situation. This isn't what I signed up for. I feel like this poor boy is being tortured at this point…"_

Carefully she soaked a cloth and dabbed it onto Cloud's face, wiping away the dirt and sweat he had accumulated from his workout. She kept on trying to think what else there could be that she could say, but now everything was falling flat. No comforting thoughts could come to her that she thought could work for him. The tired and distant gaze in his eyes was all he had now and he wasn't even looking at her anymore. He was instead spacing out at the floor, thinking who knows what.

" _To have a child be pushed like this… to these extents… it is far beyond inhumane. By the end of this… I hate to think what will become of him… if there would be anything left."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We made it a shorter chapter but we had our reasons, and yes we did update the archive warning. We are just making sure everything is set as we approach further on in the story.   
> But either way we hope you all stick around to see what is to come! Thank you all so much so far for reading this, it really means a lot to us to see.


	15. Enough

So many weeks had gone by at this point, Cloud no longer could figure out what day it was. Or more really he was too tired to even care what month it was. Everyday felt the same now to him with training one day and studying the next.

It became a blur in his mind and soon it was all he felt like he could even do. If he found himself left alone for too long when not studying or training, he got jittery. He felt anxious like he needed to keep working and doing more. He needed to make sure he didn't slip up. All he had to do was keep working and keep trying. That was what he needed to do… that was what he was sure he was supposed to do.

All he had to do was work and make people happy, it didn't matter how he felt.

* * *

Addy had been watching over Cloud as best as she could. The days when she was left alone to teach him was when she could really take a good long look at Cloud and see how far he had come, and how far he had drifted.

It was becoming clear that Cloud was slipping away each and every day, and every time she saw his distant expression her gut tightened. She felt like there was something that she should be doing about this, something she could say, but the words or thoughts never found her.

After the latest series of tests, Cloud was sent back to his room for the time being until he was needed once again. It was just past noon that day, and he was told that they would resume after a few hours once his body had rested some to acclimate to more of the changes. He had hoped that they would be done for the day, just as he did everyday, but that was never the case. He had grown accustomed to the routine and had almost become numbed by it all.

Addy had offered to walk with him to his room, but he declined her offer as he opted to traverse the path himself this time. He knew the way by heart at this point and no longer was afraid of anything. He walked out of the sliding doors, ventured through the cave area, entered the door and made his way up the spiral staircase. After he exited the door at the top, he finally made his way to his room. Cloud then closed his door and locked it as he plopped down onto his bed, stomach first.

He laid there for a few moments and just spaced out, not thinking about anything. There was nothing for him to really think about anyways. Nothing he wanted to think about either besides when he would have his next lesson.

However, after some time had passed, water droplets started to fall onto the bed sheets. They became faster and more prominent as Cloud felt his eyes were wet. He just couldn't contain his emotions and it all broke loose again.

It had been a long while since he last had broken down. Still, he was alone so he knew no one would see it. But he still felt like he was failing because he let himself break like this. Hojo and the others all drilled it into him to not show any emotion, and even though he had been that way for so long now, he was still slipping up. His mind wavered to all of the tests and extreme conditions he was always placed in, and every once in a while, that facade he had built up over so long would fade and reveal what was left of the real Cloud.

His sobs became more prevalent as the seconds passed, but he tried to remain as quiet as he could so that he would not alert anyone. He couldn't imagine if he was caught crying now. If they saw him like this… he could only imagine the punishment he would get. But as far as he could tell, he knew he was alone, so he let everything go that he had been holding on to. As he sniffled, he thought he suddenly heard a noise. Slowly, he raised his head to listen again. Sure enough, he did hear something as he waited. There was a knock on the door.

" _Oh no, did someone hear me in here? I'm gonna be in trouble aren't I? I need to try to not sound distressed if they come in."_ Cloud's mind was racing as he feared being put in a bad situation.

However, his fears were relieved when he heard the sweet voice on the other side of the door. "Hey Cloud, it's Addy. I thought I would come check on you. Are you okay?"

He stared at the door for a moment before finally speaking up. "C-come in. It's okay...if it's you."

The door slowly opened and Addy proceeded to step inside of the small room. Cloud had already turned back towards the bed with his head down, trying to hide his tear-filled eyes. He knew he could open up to her, but he was trying to be stronger. That was what he was supposed to be, what he needed to be. He then heard the door close loudly, which startled him briefly as he tried to glance up without actually looking.

Addy was walking towards the bed and then proceeded to take a seat right next to where he was laying. "Hey Cloud, I know you just finished the last test, but Hojo informed me he wanted to run a couple more tests later tonight. I want to make sure you're ready."

She waited patiently for a response from the blond-haired boy, but he neither moved nor spoke. It was almost as if he chose not to acknowledge her at all. Cloud was only laying there nearly motionless, but as she inched closer to him to see if he heard her, she heard the faint sound of something that sounded like sniffles. Cloud was crying.

"Hey, what's wrong? Something bothering you? I'm here to listen as always if you need me. It… has been a while since I've seen you like this, but it is okay," Addy said with a comforting tone. She rested her hand on him gently as a way to let him know that he could be at ease.

Cloud hesitated for a little bit before finally raising his body up with his arms pushed against the bed. As he sat up on the bed, the tears could be seen still welling in his eyes. He then tried to open his mouth to speak. "I'm just… tired."

Addy looked and saw a distant look in his eyes past all of the tears, which reminded her that Cloud was starting to lose himself. She couldn't help but feel bad for the boy still even after all this time. At the same time she kept trying to remind herself that this was what Hojo wanted. They were supposed to be turning him into the perfect new kind of SOLDIER. Even though she knew that she had signed on to participate in all of this, something still didn't feel right. She had never let though worrisome thought go, only letting them linger in the back of their mind.

Despite the thoughts battling back and forth in her mind, she knew she had to make the best of the situation at hand as she placed her arm around him. "Just tell me what it is, all right? You know that's what I'm here for."

Reflecting again, those words were partially true, or at least they used to be. All of this time, she had grown closer to Cloud and tried to look out for him in the best way possible considering the situation he was in. At first, she only tried to ease his pain and just make things smoother for when they would perform the tests on him. That was the job given to her of course, in addition to her actual job as a researcher.

But over time, Cloud had become more than that to her. She had begun to view him as like an adopted son since she was prime one taking care of him. At first it was just her task, her job she had been assigned to, but slowly she started to find enjoyment in doing it. It soon became more than just doing her job. At the end of it, she was there to listen and help, for professional and personal reasons.

She let the thoughts flow into her mind once more, letting the moment slip in to compare it to the past. It usually did not happen, not anymore, but today was just another one of those times. However, she was brought from her deep thoughts as Cloud leaned into her side and tried to relax.

But then, he spoke up again. "I-It's just...why do I have to be poked so much? Cut? All these tests...I'm used to it some, but I don't like them still. Plus it all hurts…" Cloud trailed off as he gripped his neck and chest.

She had witnessed the injuries that had happened before. The first being the scar over his lip, and then the time he burned himself and scared his neck and chest from the first materia. That one had been much harder to watch, but she surmised it at the time that it was nobody's fault but his own.

Addy was going to say something when Cloud then started to pull off his shirt. She had no idea why he was doing that, but once he finally did, her eyes started to widen in shock. She finally at that moment understood what Cloud was talking about earlier. She understood why he was always so closed. Everything was beginning to make sense.

Under the shirt on the small body of Cloud, his skin was lined with scars and bruises and welts. They were all over his back, his chest, and his arms. Of course, there was a large mark across the neck and chest from where he had burned himself after losing control. It was far fainter than it was from when it had happened, but it was still there… still noticeable. But the rest of these were just… too much.

"Cloud?! How… why… all of these marks. What have they been doing to you?" Addy asked with a defensive yet remorseful tone in her voice. " _When did they do this to you?"_

Cloud had wiped some of the tears from his eyes, back to seeming emotional like before. "This is from all those tests. Some of the days it happens. A few were from the actual tests when I had to do what Hojo said. But others…" he trailed off as he winced at recalling those memories. "They were for 'fun' as I heard them say," he responded in such a desolate tone, emotion fading from his voice as he had continued. "They only do it when Hojo isn't around. They never tell him and I am not supposed to tell him either."

" _Fun? That's what they had called it?"_ She understood that he was subjected to all sorts of prodding and even some incisions as was per usual with all the test subjects. But in that cause it was nothing too extreme. However, these marks on Cloud… it wasn't just testing. It was torture.

Her mind started to race with thoughts about what she had been doing all of this time. She was only a researcher in the lab after all, as her main goal was to devise ways to perform procedures. However, she was not always in the same room with any of the subjects when they were being worked on. She had no idea that such extreme measures were being taken.

She raised her hand and tried to move it gently over his back, which was covered in all kinds of marks. Some of them felt rather fresh as the skin was soft, but there were many others that were more faint and the skin was hardened, which indicated that they had been there for some time. How had she never noticed them before?

"Cloud...I'm so sorry. I-I didn't know this was happening. This...this is my fault. My research into this whole materia project…" she said in a solemn tone as her words trailed off. She had no idea what to say to the boy. She was supposed to look out for him, to help him get through these hard times the best way possible. But instead, she had only been contributing to his pain.

A knot formed in her stomach. Was this guilt? Pity? Maybe it was a combination of both. She had continued to go along with all the procedures before without question, partially out of fear and job security. But, she also believed they were doing good work there. But now...she felt differently. "This is wrong. This is so wrong."

"It's not your fault Ms. Addy. I don't blame you. I don't blame anyone really. I was weak and then I was made stronger. It hurts sometimes, but I bear it…" Cloud said with a deadpan expression, emotion almost absent from his small voice. "I'll get over it soon just like before...and then it won't matter."

Those last words jarred Addy from her thoughts. "No! Don't say that!" she yelled in frustration.

Cloud slowly looked back at her again and saw, to his surprise, that her eyes were marred with sadness. Suddenly, he was pulled back into her arms as she had turned around to face him. His head rested on her bosom as he felt the warmth of her hands on his shoulders. He slowly started to tear up again as he relaxed himself.

"It does matter. It matters to me. You, matter to me," she admitted as she held him tighter and closed her eyes.

From a scientific viewpoint, what she was saying was illogical. But… still, she couldn't help but harbor those feelings. The way she felt right now towards Cloud made her think of parts of her past she had thought were left behind. When she closed her eyes, she saw something completely different.

—

_There was a boy that was just a bit younger than Cloud and laying on a similar metal table that was below the Manor. He was weak and sick, and despite her want to help, all she could do was watch. He tried to speak to her with all of the strength that he had._

" _Mmmmmm…"_

_She watched as those eyes that shared a likeness with hers, began to lose strength._

" _No no…" she cried._

_She knew what was coming but just could not accept it. There was a faint beeping sound that continually got slower and slower, until finally it was just a steady, high pitched flatline sound._

—

"No...don't go please!..." she yelled as her eyes suddenly bolted open.

Her eyes were watery now as she blinked a few times to try and clear the obstruction. Once she was able to see well enough, directly in her sight was a pair of bright blue eyes staring back at her.

"S-Son?..."

She then blinked a few more times to make sure, but then she saw that it was Cloud.

"Oh…" she trailed off.

"Ms. Addy? What's wrong?" Cloud asked innocently, but directly to her.

She stared at him for a few seconds before she finally realized where she was. "Oh uh...don't worry about it."

Her voice was strained as she said that as she then coughed slightly to try to regain composure. "I-I cant' stand it anymore. Let's go Cloud."

The boy looked at her with curious eyes. "W-What do you mean Miss Addy?"

She sat him up from the bed and looked at him seriously, with love in her eyes. "I'm getting you out of this place for good."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we are back at it again with a new chapter! How was that for a ending?? Heh. What will happen next? Find out next time!


	16. Escape

The moonlight trailed into the bedroom, shimmering brightly in the darkness of the night sky. Cloud stared next to the window, staring out at the darkened land cast in darkness. With a deep breath Cloud closed his eyes and wondered what laid beyond the manor. What else was out there? He knew there was a town at least and he knew he had been there before, but it was all too hazy for him.

But he was going to go out there. He was going to finally see what else was beyond all of this. Finally some relief he felt in his chest. It was a weird feeling to be feeling, he wasn't all too sure what to make of it at first. But he felt almost mixed over it. He wanted to feel happy, and he thought that he should. But everything Addy was planning for him was going against what he had been instructed on.

Opening his eyes, he stared up at the moon again. It seemed so promising to him. It seemed to calm him for some reason. The brightness and color just seemed so entrancing to him. He wished he could stare at it longer, but soon enough he heard a light knock on his door. He knew who it was before they even opened the door.

"Cloud… I've checked around and there seems to be nobody present. It's perfect. Are you ready?" Miss Addy asked him, wanting to be sure of his decision.

"I… I think so." Cloud replied meekly. "We… We are really leaving?"

"Yes, I am not going to wait another night. We leave now and that's going to be that. Just let me know, okay?" Miss Addy said as she held out her hand. "I will be here for you every step of the way, just as I have these past years."

"B-But… What if we get caught? What will Professor Hojo say? He doesn't approve of this does he?"

"He won't find out. I won't let him ever harm you again. You don't deserve to live like this Cloud. You need to live a life, a real life like how any other kid your age should live."

"I just… I'm scared. But… it would be nice to go somewhere…"

"I know it would. Just keep thinking those nice thoughts, and we will make it out okay?" Addy whispered to him gently.

Cloud slowly nodded his head towards her, not knowing what else that he could say. Every thought that crossed his small mind at the moment was a stay, or to go? It shouldn't have been a hard choice, but there he was, questioning every action he might take.

But after much thought, he finally was able to make up his mind. He trusted Miss Addy more than he was afraid of Hojo. She was right.

"I think… I'm ready now," he spoke softly.

"All right, then let's head out. Stay by my side and keep quiet, understand?" Addy said as she made her way over toward the door.

Pushing the door open as slow as possible Addy looked back and forth before she stepped into the hallway and motioned for Cloud to follow her. Taking one last deep breath he walked over and stayed close to her side. For a few moments he almost forgot to take his next breath, but once they started walking down the hallway he exhaled again. It was so strange for him… he had been through countless training… so many tough challenges from Professor Hojo… yet this was more terrifying than all of those together.

He tried to push the negative thoughts that occurred to the back of his mind. Easier said than done. Wasn't his training to be a SOLDIER after all? Despite his dislike of it most of the time, his tenure there had granted him some useful information that he tried to hold on to.

He pulled at Miss Addy's coat. "Hey, can I ask something?" he tried to whisper.

"Hm, yes? What is it?"

"M-Maybe I could help us to get out? I mean...I did have to learn a lot here anyways…"

Miss Addy's face drew into a surprised expression as her brows furrowed. "No need for your magic, but stealth, that's what we need, okay? Can you do that for me?"

The blond nodded his head. "Yeah, I can do that I think."

"Good, now follow me."

The two slinked along the wall, sticking closely to the hard surface. Cloud was trying his hardest not to hold his breath, as he needed to breath normally like Miss Addy was doing. She seemed to be so calm and collected during all of this, and Cloud didn't understand how it was possible. But if she managed to do it, then surely he could as well. They could make it out… out into the outside world to some place else. To some place safer… as far as Miss Addy told him.

He couldn't even imagine the idea still. A place that was safer than this? A place outside of these walls? He reminded himself that he knew what was out there and there was really nothing he had to be afraid of. He was sure once they got outside of the mansion he would feel better. Once they were far, far away from it he would feel something better inside of him.

That hope was what was keeping him going.

But the longer they moved down the long hallways, the more his heart raced. It felt wrong to do this. This was wrong for him to disobey Hojo. He was going to get caught. He would be in trouble and would be terribly punished.

Why had he agreed to this in the first place? This was all such a bad idea, even if Miss Addy did try to reassure him. None of this felt right and now Cloud could only worry about the consequences.

The sound from his throat started as a small whimper, but it was slowly getting louder. Miss Addy turned around quickly and placed a hand on the side of Cloud's face. "Shh it's okay Cloud. Just take a deep breath for me, okay? Can you do that? We're almost there. Just a bit farther and we will be out of here."

"N-No I can't!" Cloud shouted, raising his voice louder.

"Cloud please you need to be quiet," Miss Addy warned him.

But it was already too late.

There were footsteps coming from the other end of the hall. "049? Are you out of your room?" one scientist asked as a flashlight turned on. "You're not supposed to leave without…" When the light hit him and Miss Addy, they both froze, staring with wide eyes at the other scientist.

Cloud's face remained affixed to the man only for a moment before he started to shake. Everything that he had feared was going to come true. He never should have disobeyed and tried to leave. He just knew he would be in trouble now.

"I-I… um… " he tried to speak, but the words just wouldn't come out.

"We were just out on a walk," Addy answered slowly, making sure to choose her words carefully.

"Then what was 049 screaming about?" The other scientist asked.

"He suddenly started having a panic attack, and I am trying to get him to calm down," Addy responded without much hesitation at all.

"You should have brought him down to the lab for observation, not towards the front of the manor," the scientist replied, sounding far from convinced.

Cloud whined, backing up from both Miss Addy and the other scientist. He could feel his heart beating loudly, and he was afraid that the other two could head it. He knew he shouldn't panic. They told him not to panic yet here he was breaking the rules again.

Addy was looking at him, she was remaining calm. He couldn't understand how she was able to do it, but if she could maybe he could too. He just needed to hold his breath and hope for the best. But what neither he or Miss Addy expected was to hear another set of footsteps approaching them.

"What's all the commotion?" another voice rang out as the person slowly became visible as the light shining through the Windows crept upon him. It was one of the other assistants close to Professor Hojo.

"049 was feeling a bit confined tonight, nightmares I believe," Addy replied as calmly as she could. "I know I should take him to the lab for observation but I believe fresh air is what he needs best, not musty basement air."

The new addition to their small gathering walked closer. "Adelaide, while I understand you are his caretaker, you know that can't happen. Besides… you know if the Professor catches you out here it won't be good."

"And it won't be good if his current prized experiment breaks down and sets the room on fire by accident. He _needs_ fresh air. Unless you would like to go and explain to Hojo why I couldn't help his little experiment recover properly."

Cloud glanced back and forth between the two of them. He knew he was on Miss Addy's side, but it almost seemed like things would break out into an argument at any time. The other man in the back was starting to move restlessly and seeming to block the way they had come. The boy couldn't help but become more nervous as his breathing increased rapidly.

"Miss…Addy…" he said as he started to breathe more heavily and gripped her coat.

"You see? If I don't hurry him outside to get some natural fresh air he could go off and then we would all be in deep trouble. It would only be for a few minutes, that's all. Just enough for him to calm down and then it's back to bed."

The two scientists exchanged glances with each other before turning back to Adelaide and the boy. "It's not like we have any saying in it, but we'll be watching anyways. Go," the last one that had entered the conversation directed toward the door.

Addy gave her thanks and took Cloud by the hand, moving as quickly as she could to head further towards the font of the mansion. They were getting closer and almost there, if they had no further interruptions she knew that they could be in the clear. Though a quick glance to her side she saw that Cloud was still worried, not having calmed down yet.

She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "We're almost there, okay Cloud? Just a bit further and you can feel better."

"But will I really… feel better?" he asked quietly without looking up at her.

"I'm sure it will," she replied heartily. "And, remember you can use the powers you have as well if needed. Don't forget."

It was as if a spark went off in his mind, but only for a brief moment. "Oh, yeah, I kinda forgot about that just with… this all going on. Okay then…" he trailed off as they broke the threshold to the outside finally when Addy thrust open the doors

The cool nighttime air rushed to meet them and Addy sucked in a deep breath of the outside air. Thankfully it wasn't winter time or their little plan would have been much harder. With it being spring, and all of the snow from winter melted, there was nothing for them to leave tracks. The more discrete they could be, the better.

"Come Cloud, we just need to get beyond the gate. Once we are there we are free to do what we want."

The two of them strode out toward the middle of the courtyard, trying to see in the darkness of the night. Fortunately for them, the evening was filled with clouds, which blocked the would-be light from the moon. The smell and taste of spring was in the air all around them, the lukewarm air surrounding the pair.

It had been what felt like ages since cloud had been on the outside. He could feel A little dampness on his cheek and it slowly creeped downward, falling to the ground.

"I… this is outside. I never… thought I'd see it again," he mustered through some quiet sobs.

"I know it's been a little while since last we were out here, but there is nothing to be afraid of. Not anymore."

Walking further they came up to the gate. Just beyond that was the open land, no walls or gates to stop them. All they had to do was unlock this one and that would be the final step. One more step and finally all would be well.

Addy reached in her pocket to sift around, then quickly changed to the other one. She patted herself down all over before finally pulling out a small key to use on the lock. She placed it into the lock and tried to turn it, expecting there to be the click of the unlock sound. But instead she was met with nothing and the key having no effect on the lock.

"What?" she questioned aloud. "What gives…?" She tried again but nothing seemed to work. "I'm sure that this was the right key. It has to be."

Addy stopped to run a hand through her hair, trying not to let her anxiety get the best of her in the moment. "Okay… so either the key is wrong or the lock is changed. I probably grabbed the wrong key through. Shit."

Cloud looked around for a moment, trying to figure out what to do. He was still partially scared, but being outside again finally somehow seemed to energize him a bit. He looked close at the lock and then to himself as he remembered what Miss Addy had said to him.

Placing his hand to the lock, he started to focus his mind. And I see aura begin to emanate around his palm as he felt himself growing a bit cooler. The lock started to creak its metal once it started to grow colder.

"What was- Cloud?!" she said surprised when she saw him. "What are you… oh, I see! Good thinking for that."

The entire lock was soon encased in ice, and with Cloud forming a ball of ice in his other hand he chucked it right at the piece. It shattered instantly and fell to small pieces on the ground before them, causing the gate to slowly creak open.

"Is that… Was that acceptable?" Cloud asked softy.

"Yes, completely it was. Now, let's get this open and get out of here," she said to him as she put her arm behind his back.

" _It's strange, I figured that the other guys would have noticed something at this point. But, the important part is that he's almost free. We're almost free."_

Her thoughts, however, had betrayed her. She could hear some footsteps from behind her, and she need not even look back at this point.

"And where do you both think you're going?!" a cold and raspy voice rang out towards them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh, so how about that for a ending? :)  
> Hope you all enjoyed!


End file.
